Love Is Art
by KaraAlissa
Summary: Lila is starting her internship at WWE Magazine. Will she be able to get used to the lifestyle? And what's more will she be able to cope with falling in love? Shannon Moore/OC
1. A New Job

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters.

"I swear Lila if you get one more tattoo your mom is going to have a heart-attack!" Tim Sampson said with a bemused smile. Lila Hotchner was different in terms of appearance to say the least. At age 21 she already had five different tattoo's and was looking at a drawing her friend did for her as inspiration for another. Not to mention the bright blue streaks popping from her hair long curly hair.

"I am quite happy with my body art thank you." Lila replied not looking up from the piece of paper grasped firmly in her hand. Tim just sighed and took a seat next to her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"When's your next class?" He asked, almost whining.

"I don't have another one this semester." She said finally tearing her eyes away from the paper. "I already presented my final photo for my last class."

"Yay!" He said standing up. "We shall celebrate by going to a club and finding some cute boys!" Lila just smiled at him.

"Whatever you say, but we shouldn't stay out long. I have applied for a couple internships this summer and I am hoping to hear from someone soon."

"Where have you applied to?" He asked sitting back down.

"Well, Vanity Fair, that's not looking promising, Cosmo, Seventeen Magazine, and WWE Magazine." She said before sighing.

"Why WWE?" Tim ask a look of disgust crossing his face.

"Don't you even pull that shit." She said sternly. "You know I love wrestling, and taking pictures of some of my favorite superstars sounds like an ideal summer for me."

"Well, all is well and good for now. In the meantime let's get to the club and meet cute boys!" He said standing again. "I just bought this shirt and I am dying to see if anyone notices."

"You're flaming, and I love you." She said standing up beside him. "Just let me go change and we'll get out of here." She made her way through her tiny Manhattan apartment, that cost more than her tuition, or so it seemed. Her room was at the very back of the apartment and she closed the door behind her. She walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of black jeans that flared at the bottom, and a purple silk tank top. She might as well celebrate, she didn't get to see Tim that often. He went to school in Pennsylvania, only a half an hour away from their hometown.

"Lila!!" Tim called running towards her bedroom. "Your phone is ringing." He opened her door just as she pulled her tank-top over her head. "Here, here, here!" He handed her the phone.

"Lay of the caffeine." She said quickly before opening her phone. "Hello?"

_"Hello, is this Miss. Hotchner?" _A male voice asked.

"Yes this is she."

_"Hello, my name is Jon Ragel. I am with WWE Magazine." _He said calmly. Lila supressed the urge to jump up and down.

"It's great to hear from you Mr. Ragel." She said regaining her composure.

_"I am glad I caught you. Listen, I am going to just come out and say this. We received your application and I am throughly impressed. I would like you to come out to Los Angeles and work with us at WWE Magazine." _Lila thought she might faint so she sat on the edge of her bed.

"It will be an honor to join the magazine Mr. Ragel." She said softly, still in shock.

_"Excellent! So, can you fly out tomorrow? We would really like you here as soon as possible."_

"Yes, I will book my flight as soon as possible." She said shaking a bit.

_"Alright, the address to the main building is 119 strooner st, and, it would be nice if you could be here before noon if at all possible. We'll discuss living arrangements when you get here. We'll provide something for you until you can get everything in order and find your own place here in California."_

"I look forward to it and can't wait to meet you. Thank you for this opportunity."

_"I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Good-bye." Lila said before closing her phone. She took a deep breath before screaming as loud as possible. She began jumping up and down her room.

"What??" Tim asked trying to grab her arms.

"I got the job at WWE Magazine!!" She said screaming.

"Ok, now we have to celebrate." Tim said with a wide grin. Lila's smile faded.

"I'm sorry hun, but they want me there by tomorrow. I am going to have to take the red-eye tonight. I have to call JFK airport, find a ticket, and pack. Oh, Tim I'm sorry." Lila felt awful. Granted Tim had been in NYC for a week, but she still felt like she was ditching him. To her surprise he smiled.

"Honey, you want to do this so much and I am super excited for you. So, you call the airport and I will start packing your suitcases!" He said helping her stand up.

"I love ya sweetie!" She said with an ear to ear grin.

"Oh you know I love you too!" He kissed her on the cheek and ran to her closet while Lila picked up her phone and dialed information. The operator picked up quickly.

"JFK airport please." She said, her heart pounding in her chest.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"Flight 426 to Los Angeles now boarding."_ Came the voice over the loud speaker. It was almost 4 in the morning, but Lila was wide awake.

"Alright... I can do this." She said standing up.

"Of course you can." Tim said pulling her into a hug. "Listen to me. You're going to be fine. We all know you're talented, the magazine knows that, you know that... Even if you wont admit it. You're going to meet wrestlers you've been oogling on television, but if any of them are gay, give them my number!" Lila laughed and gave Tim another hug.

"Of course I will." She turned and looked at the gate taking a deep breath. "Here I go."

"Remember dear. Don't look back." He said softly with a smile. She picked up her carry-on and walked toward the doorway to her plane. She paused but only for a moment. She knew she had to follow Tim's advice.

- - - - - - -

Even though she slept for an hour or two, the flight still seemed to take forever. She was half way through "Pride and Prejudice" when the captain came over the speaker.

_"Alright Ladies and Gentleman we're making our decent into LAX airport. It is approximately 10 AM, and the weather is around 79 degrees, sunny and beautiful. We will be landing in 20 minutes, so please buckle your seat belts and flight attendants please prepare for landing." _Lila leaned back in her seat and took a few deep breaths. She hated flying. When she was finally back on solid ground and she had caught a cab her nerves began to pick up even more. What if they decided they made a mistake and she had to fly right back to New York? 'Ok, Lila, think positive.' She told herself.

"Where ya headed Miss?" The cab driver asked. She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket.

"119 strooner st please." She said softly trying to clear the lump from her throat. She took her mind off her up coming meeting by looking out the window. She was amazed at how different Los Angeles was from New York. The palm trees alone were beautiful, but she slowly realized that she was already missing the Big Apple. She found herself day dreaming about her days to come. Sure, she was nervous, but hey what if she got to meet some of the wrestlers today? Maybe Edge or Shawn Michaels?

"Alright, here we are." The cabbie said pulling Lila back into reality. She paid for the cab and grabbed her bags. As she stood staring at the building in front of her she couldn't help thinking it almost looked like a warehouse. She took another deep breath and picked up her bags before walking to the guard at the front of the building.

"May I help you ma'am?" He asked semi-sternly staring at her hair.

"Yes, I am Lila Hotchner. I am here for a meeting with Jon Ragel." She said with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Yes. Mr. Ragel has been expecting you. You can leave your bags here, but make sure to bring your camera." The guard said. Lila nodded and grabbed her camera bag out of her carry on. "Alright, just enter here and take a left. Go down the long hallway and turn right at the end. It's the forth door on your left." He said opening the door for her. She said thank you and entered the building. She felt a blast of cool air and the door slammed shut behind her. She was thankful for the air conditioning but that was soon forgotten when she realized she had no idea where she was going. She had been to busy being thinking about what to say to Mr. Ragel to comprehend the directions the guard had given her. She passed several office doors not recognizing any of the names, then a few doors just labeled: set 1, set 2, etc.

"Ok, Lila relax you're going to find his office. Just calm down." she said aloud to herself. She glanced down at her watch. It was only a few minutes after 11 so at least she wasn't pressed for time. She turned around and waked backward for a few steps. She knew it had to be around here somewhere. She turned back around only to run into something hard and she found herself lying on the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A male voice said. His southern accent thick. She looked up to see the most beautiful blue-green eyes staring back at her.

"It's alright." She said shaking herself back into reality. Was this man actually standing over her? He offered his hand and helped her up. She grabbed her camera bag and brushed some dust of her black dress pants and blue button down shirt.

"Well, aren't you colorful." He asked with a smile dancing on his voice. Lila blushed.

"Yeah, just a little bit."

"I'm Shannon Moore." He said shaking her hand.

"I know, it's nice to meet you. I'm Lila Hotchner." He smiled at her and their hands remained locked together.

"Oh... I'm sorry.." He said nervously pulling his hand back. "I think you might need both your hands at some point. I mean you know for whatever your profession is. I mean, I am not trying to suggest anything vulgar. I mean... I'm babbling aren't I?"

"Yes." Lila said smiling. "Yes you are."

"Ok, let's start this again. You look lost is their anything I can help you with?"

"Yes." She said thankfully. "I am looking for Jon Ragel's office."

"Follow me." He said smiling as he turned around and began walking. Lila stared for a moment before following him. "So, what are you going to see Jon for?"

"Oh, I am going to be working with the magazine this summer for an internship." She said feeling more and more comfortable around him by the minute.

"Oh yeah? Where ya from?"

"PA originally, but I go to school at NYU."

"Wow. So, you want to be a professional photographer?"

"Yeah, that's what I am hoping for." She said smiling.

"Well here we are." He said stopping suddenly outside Jon's office door.

"I can't thank you enough." Lila said looking from the door to Shannon.

"Oh it's no problem. Always glad to help a pretty new photographer." Lila blushed crimson. She looked into his eyes briefly noting he was blushing to. They stood silent for a moment.

"I guess I should get in there." Lila said though she made no movement toward the door.

"Good luck. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime." He said with a smile. God he had an amazing smile.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said taking a small step toward the door. She held out her hand and he took it, placing a soft kiss on the top.

"I was very nice to meet you Lila."

"You too Shannon." He reluctantly let go of her hand, turned, and slowly walked away. Lila stood looking after him for a few moments trying to calm down. Her heart was beating fast and she could swear the sound of it was echoing in the hall. She took a deep breath and turned toward the door. She couldn't explain if she tried what just happened to her. She put on a mask of faux confidence, lifted her hand, and knocked on the office door in front of her.


	2. Meeting Stars

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

BIG THANKS to Peleinferno (lil sis!), mltjrbabe, and unlimited emerald0307 for the awesome reveiws! You guys rock! Also thank you to anyone who is reading this story... I hope you guys like it!!

"Come in!" the familiar voice called through the door. As she turned the door knob Lila's mind was still racing from her encounter with Shannon. The office walls were a faded powder blue with pictures of friends and family covering them. A man in his mid to late 30's sat behind a cherry wood desk looking at handful of pictures. "Ah, Miss Hotchner." Jon Ragel said standing up. He held out his hand which she graciously took and he greeted her with a warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You two sir. It's an honor to be here." Lila replied trying her best to hide her nerves.

"Please, call my Jon. Have a seat." He said indicating the chair in front of his desk. Lila gave him a kind smile and sat down slowly taking in her surroundings. The chair was really nothing more than a cheap office chair, but Lila didn't really mind. She looked at the man sitting in front of her. He had bright green eyes and light hair that was cut short, barely an inch long. It slowly dawned on her that the pictures sitting in front of him were her own. Different images she had submitted for classes over the past three years. A smile crossed her face as he pulled out her favorite picture. She had taken it of Tim at a local cemetery. The green of the trees, and of Tim's eyes was the only color in the picture. He was leaning against a stone statue of an angel that, legend had it, cried.

"I love that picture." Lila said before catching herself. "I hope that doesn't sound to conceded." Jon laughed.

"No, it doesn't. I quite like this picture myself." He said before setting it back down on the desk to join the multitude of other pictures. "You're work is, needless to say impressive. However, I need to see a sample of your work when it comes to our superstars." Lila nodded. "We are having a photo shoot for Diva of the month in a few moments. One of our top photographers is going to be taking pictures, but I want you there too. Take a few shots, work with the other photographer, who's name is Steven, and we'll see how they look."

"I look forward to it." Lila replied, her nerves calming.

"Excellent. I assume you brought your own camera?" He asked indicating the bag around her shoulder.

"Yes sir." She opened the camera case and pulled out a Canon Digital Rebel Xsi. It was her baby and she pretty much treated it as such.

"Nice camera." Jon said with a smile, staring at the object in her hands. He pulled his gaze away to look back at Lila. "The shoot is at set 1. Basically just take a left out of this door and the very next right. You'll see it on the left side of the hallway." Lila nodded, she was NOT going to get lost this time. She stood up, as did Jon.

"It was an honor to meet you." She said shaking his hand. "I look forward to working here." Jon smiled at her.

"Trust me, we look forward to having you here." He said with a kind smile. Lila turned to go, but his voice stopped her. "Don't be nervous. Trust me you're going to be fine." Lila smiled and nodded before leaving the room, clutching her camera for dear life.

- - - - - - - - -

This time she didn't get lost, and knocking on a simple door didn't seem too difficult. Steven had been the one to open the door to the set. He was a younger man, probably mid-twenties, with dark drown shoulder length hair that was tied back in a ponytail and even darker eyes. Lila didn't know why but she immediately felt comfortable around him. Maybe it was because he was just another photographer and he wasn't going to be interviewing her. He introduced himself as Steven Ricardo and openly invited her onto the set.

"So, word has it you're a student at NYU." He said throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, you're sources have it right." Lila said shrugging her shoulders.

"Then I like you even more already. I myself was a student at NYU. Is Prof. Marsden, AKA: Hitler, still teaching?"

"Oh yeah." Lila said, any worry gone. "He's never going away."

"Tell me about it." Steven mumbled into her ear. "Sounds like some of the assholes around here." He said softly. Lila raised an eyebrow. "Stick with me kid, you'll do just fine."

"Sounds like a plan good sir." Steven smiled before pulling his arm away.

"Here we go." He said with a whisper as the main door opened again. A large group of people came bustling through. Most were probably make-up artists and costume directors. Finally in walked the Diva. Lila recognized her immediately. It was Drusilla. A babyface Diva with a little bit of a Punk style. She was wearing a school-girl type shirt and a green tank top with 'Diva' written across it. Her brown hair was curled and she was talking on a cell phone. "Alright, this is Nicole, and trust me this will be great. She, unlike some Diva's... AKA: Maria and Barbie, is actually really nice and she doesn't bitch about every little thing."

"Steven!" Nicole screamed before quickly ending her phone conversation. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Hello darling." Steven said in a faux British accent. "I have someone for you to meet. He set Nicole down and motioned for Lila to join them. "Ok, Nicole this is Lila Hotchner. Our new photographer. Lila, this is Nicole, AKA: Drusilla."

"It's nice to meet you!" Nicole said brightly extending her hand which Lila accepted.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"So, what brings you to the great WWE Magazine?"

"An internship actually. I go to school at NYU."

"Ooh, I see why you like her Stevie. She goes to the place you long to visit again in your dreams!" Nicole said adding dramatic gestures.

"Oh, ha ha." Steven said picking up his camera. "Now can we please get this shoot over with?" Nicole gave Lila a wink before heading to the main part of the set. Lila followed her, camera in hand. "Alright, Drusilla, you know what to do." Different lights lit up at once and Nicole immediately launched into a set of different poses. It took Lila a minute to get her bearings, but she soon found her own grove. Steven looked on amused at Lila moved swiftly around the set being careful not to step in anyone's way, but still trying to get the best angle's possible. After an hour of photos, several full memory cards, and couple costume changes Lila sat down in a chair off set and put her head back. 'Wow.' She thought to herself. She had never been at a set like this and was surprised at how much it drained out of her. She heard a chair being moved next to hers and she sat up to find herself face to face with Nicole.

"Damn chica you made me work today!" She said a bright smile on her face. "Have you done this before?" Lila merely shook her head no. "Well you wouldn't know by today. Great job."

"Thanks." Lila said brightly.

"So do you want the 411 about people you're going to meet?" Nicole asked. Lila perked up.

"Yes, please yes."

"Ok, Maria and Barbie, AKA: Kelly Kelly, are really hard to work with. They usually bitch and moan saying they don't think that angle will look good or that they think that the lighting is wrong."

"But it's not their job to question that. It's ours."

"Thank you! My thoughts exactly!" Nicole said brightly. "Ok, well Randy Orton is going to flirt with you, whether you like it or not, but that's just the way he is." She said opening the water she had been holding. She offered a sip to Lila, but Lila just shook her head no and smiled. After taking a sip and replacing the cap Nicole continued. "So, Shane McMahon and Steph are always really protective of the Diva's and female staff, almost like older siblings. Vince is respectful to everyone, just make sure to stay on his good side."

"What about Shannon Moore?" Lila asked with a slight blush. It was great to have someone to talk to.

"The resident Reject? May I ask why?" However Lila didn't think she had to tell her. The sly smile spreading across her face indicated that she already had some idea.

"Well, I saw him earlier. He helped me find Jon Ragel's office."

"Ooh, and?"

"And well nothing really. He just said he hoped to see me around and kissed my hand."

"You like him, don't you?" Nicole asked bluntly.

"I don't really know him. I mean I'm not going to lie I felt something, but... eh I don't know. I'm new here. Maybe he's a flirt like..."

"No, he's not like Randy." Nicole said with a slight chuckle. "Shannon can be flirty, but he usually isn't unless he likes someone."

"Really?" Lila asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yep.. R..." but Nicole trailed off, her gaze focused on the main door where Mike Mizzan was now standing.

"Nicole..." Lila called, but she seemed not to hear her at first. "So what's the Miz like?" Nicole snapped her head bak towards Lila.

"He's... he's really nice." Nicole said trying, and failing, to hide the crimson color now flooding her cheeks.

"Might want to try harder to hide that blush girl, because he's headed this way." Lila said nodding her head toward the Tag Team Champ who was walking towards them.

"Ok, I can do this." Nicole said nervously, more to herself.

"Hey Nicole." Miz said brightly.

"Hey Mike, what's up?"

"John and I had a photo shoot and I heard you had your Diva of the month shoot. I was hoping I could see some of it." He said, a nervous tone to his voice which Lila suspected only she picked up on.

"Sorry babe. It's over." Nicole said, she quickly turned to Lila. "Oh! I'm sorry. Mike this is Lila Hotchner. Lila this is Mike Mizzan."

"Nice to meet you." Lila said with a kind smile.

"You too, are you the new photographer?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Lila questioned. Her camera was somewhere with Steven. He and Jon were apparently looking at her photos.

"Uhh, Shannon Moore told me there was a new photographer here and I would know her when I saw her." He replied looking at her hair.

"Oh, Shannon Moore huh?" Nicole asked, gaining some confidence. "Did he say anything else about her Mike?"

"I think you'd have to ask Shannon that hun." He said with a sly smile. "I should umm.. Get going."

"Oh, alright." Nicole said, a little dejected.

"I just wanted to tell you that you look really beautiful today, and I can't wait to see the photo's. They're going to be amazing." He said, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

"T-Thank you." Nicole replied a dreamy look on her face. Lila stifled a laugh. "Bye Mike." Nicole finally got out. He waved at her and Lila and started toward the door. Once he was safely out of ear shot Lila couldn't stop herself from laughing. "What are you laughing about?" Nicole asked still smiling.

"Nicole, he likes you!" Lila said still laughing.

"You think?"

"Come on girl, don't be blonde. He's got it bad."

"How do you know?" Nicole asked, her smile growing.

"Trust me. I can just tell." Lila replied shrugging her shoulders. "You should ask him for drinks one night after ECW or something."

"Well, maybe I will." Nicole said with a smile.

"Listen." Lila started looking at her hands. "Thanks for telling me about some of the people here and listening about Shannon. It's hard having all your friends three thousand miles away."

"Don't worry about it chica." Nicole said softly. "When I first started here I didn't know anyone."

"Lila!" Steven called. "Come on we have to go meet with Jon!" Lila felt her heart start pounding in her chest.

"You'll be fine girl. Listen, once you find out where they're putting you come find me. I'll be around here for a while and I want to know!"

"Sure thing." Lila replied with a smile. "And if you see Mike what are you going to do?"

"Aside from faint?"

"Yes, after that."

"Ask him out." Nicole said, her cheeks already turning red.

"Exactly!"

"Lila!" Steven called in a taunting tone.

"I'm coming!" She called back. "I'll see you later Nicole and thanks again."

"You two chica." Nicole said smiling. Lila walked over to Steven, her heart beating faster with each passing moment.

"You ready?" He asked once she got close enough. Lila took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, follow me."


	3. New Relationships

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Big THANKS to Peleinferno (lil sis!), extremeshan81, and 68 stones for reviewing! You guys rock, and thanks to anyone who's reading this. I hope you guys like it!!**

Steven and Lila made their way back through the halls, except this time Lila knew exactly where she was going. Steven walked through Jon's office door without even knocking, motioning for Lila to follow him.

"Hey you." Jon said smiling at Lila. "Have fun on the set?"

"It was a new experience that's for sure." Lila said. Despite being back in his office she felt more comfortable with Steven there. That was, until she remembered that in a few moments Jon would decide where she would be placed in the company. She figured the worst that could happen was being the last resort photographer. You know, that person where the head of the department goes.. "If every other person is busy then call so and so." Or the person who's only job it is, is to only take pictures of fans. Jon's voice jarred Lila from her thoughts. "Please have a seat." He indicated the seat she sat in over an hour earlier. Steven stood leaning against the chair beside her.

"You should have seen her in there Jon. She was a pro." Steven said winking at Lila.

"Is that so?"

"Hell yeah, she made Nicole work her little butt off with all the poses she had to do." Steven said with a laugh.

"What did you think of the shoot Lila?" Jon asked taking his own seat behind his desk.

"Well, I am not going to lie. I have never experienced anything like that before." She said shaking her head. Steven and Jon both chuckled. "But I really loved it. It was enthralling and Nicole was amazing."

"Well, we have decided that their will be three pictures of her in this issue, along with her interview of course. Here they are." Jon said holding up three different pictures. The first two pictures Lila didn't recognize, they definitely weren't hers, but the third one...

"Sir?" She asked staring at the last picture. "Is that one I?"

"Yep, it's yours." Jon said smiling. "I don't think their was a shot you took we couldn't use, despite the massive amount you ended up taking."

"Yeah, damn girl I was impressed!" Steven said putting his hands on her shoulders. Lila's heart was still beating in her chest. So where would they put her?

"T-thank you, both of you." Lila said blushing.

"So I guess the question now would be where to put you." Jon said giving a sly smile toward Steven. Lila was afraid to breathe, she just wanted to know. "Well, it's obvious you're talent needs to be seen so we actually have two jobs for you."

"Yeah, and I think you'll enjoy them." Steven said finally sitting in the chair next to her. Lila looked back towards Jon.

"Well, we want you to take live action shots first of all. You'll travel with RAW and Smackdown/ECW periodically and be at ringside to take different shots, that's mostly for the website. Now I know you didn't expect to be working for the website, but you're really good at catching moving objects so it seems fitting. Is that alright?"

"Yes!" Lila said with an ear to ear grin. "That would be amazing. Thank you so much..."

"Oh, hold on girl, we're not done." Steven said with a chuckle.

"Steve's right. Next we want you to take editorial shots. For sections like interviews and answering fan mail. We would even like to maybe get you into a shoot for the cover by the end of summer." Lila sat her mouth slightly a gape. It was all she could have hoped for a more.

"Sir.."

"You can call me Jon, Lila." He said smiling

"Jon... I can't thank you enough for this. It's more than I could ever imagine." She said fighting back the tears threatening her.

"Just get ready. You'll be leaving late tonight for Miami. There is a Smackdown/ECW show there tomorrow night, and we want you ringside."

"I can't wait." Lila said seriously.

"That's what we love to hear." Jon said standing, soon Steven and Lila both followed. Jon held out his hand to Lila which she gladly accepted. "Welcome to the WWE Lila."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She said in a shocked tone.

"Alright girl, why don't you go find Nicole. I have a feeling she told you to find her when you found out." Steven said leading her towards the door.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Lila asked raising an eyebrow. The two made their way out into the hall saying good-bye quickly to Jon. As his office door closed and the two began walking Steven continued.

"I am the eyes and ears of this place kid." Steven said with a smile. "It's almost like I know about you and Shannon Moore." Lila looked shocked. "Let me give you a word of advice kid. Be careful. You don't want to let anything get in the way of this internship."

"I understand." Lila said softly.

"And a relationship with one of the stars has the potential to effect your work in a very negative way, especially if it doesn't work out." Lila nodded. "Now, it's not forbidden for photographers to date the talent, you just have to be careful."

"I will Steven, besides. If you are the eyes and ears you know that he only showed me how to get to Jon's office."

"Yes, before kissing your hand and the both of you going your separate ways looking like you were just given a new lease on life."

"Very funny Steven." Lila said looking towards the ground.

"Listen, I know the guy likes you." Lila looked up in shock. "Don't look so surprised. Anyway, he's a good guy, but he doesn't have the best relationship past. Just be careful huh? I don't want to see you get your heart broken." Steven said putting a loving hand on her shoulder. Lila looked around for a moment. Steven had led her to the catering area where she quickly saw Nicole. She turned back to Steven.

"Thank you Steven. I know you're just looking out for me, but don't worry. I'll be careful." She gave him a hug. "Now I have to go tell Nicole the good news."

"Alright, your bags are with the guards and if you want you can use my office to take a nap later. It's right by set 1. A car will be here at 5 to take you to the airport. Your flight is at 7, and a car will be waiting in Miami to take you to the hotel."

"You guys think of everything."

"Yeah, we're good." Steven said laughing. "See ya later Lila." He turned and walked away with Lila calling 'Bye' after him. She turned back around and locked eyes with Nicole, who quickly motioned for Lila to join her. Lila walked quickly over to the small table, trying to avoid the gazes of several office workers and some other talent.

"So how'd it go?" Nicole asked excitedly. Lila took a seat across from her.

"Well, I get to do live action shots and some editorial ones too!"

"Ahhh!" She said jumping up and running to hug her. "Congratulations chica!"

"Thanks. I'm excited to start."

"So when you going on the road?" Nicole asked, this time sitting next to her.

"Actually I am leaving tonight and going to the Smackdown/ECW show tomorrow." Lila said finally breathing normally for once.

"Alright! We'll have to hang out after the show tomorrow and I can introduce you to some of the wrestlers."

"Sounds like a plan." Lila said her confidence increasing.

"So when are you flying out?" Nicole asked, but Lila didn't get a chance to answer as another voice entered the conversation.

"Hey guys." A male voice said. Lila didn't even have to look up to see who it was. The southern accent was a dead give away.

"Hey Shannon." Nicole said brightly before looking slyly toward Lila. "Take a seat, join us."

"Thanks Nicole." He said grabbing a seat.

"So, how did the interview go?" He asked turning to Lila. For a moment she got lost in the gorgeous eyes.

"Um.." she started shaking herself back into reality. "I am taking live action shots and editorial shots."

"Damn girl, you must be amazing!" Shannon said with a laugh. Lila just blushed. Nicole was eating it up. Lila looked around the catering area for some way to get her back and a smirk slowly crossed her lips.

"Mike!" She called loudly. Mike Mizzan turned to see where the voice came from and smiled at Lila waved him over.

"Whatcha doing Lila?" Nicole said trying to keep a smile on her face.

"Oh, I just wanted to say hi to Mike." Lila said shrugging her shoulders.

"Hey Lila!" Mike said with a charming smile. "Hey Nicole."

"H-hi Mike." Nicole replied turning crimson. An awkward silence passed over the group. "So Mike, did you hear Lila is gonna be taking live action shots? She's coming with us to Miami."

"That's great, congrats Lila!" Mike said shaking her hand.

"Thanks Mike."

"Speaking of tomorrow." Shannon started. "You and John better be ready Mike. We're coming for ya."

"Oh yeah, we'll see about that Moore." Mike said with a smile. "I have some things to do around here before my flight... So, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Mike said with a smile. "Oh, Nicole, can I talk to you really quickly?"

"Sure." She replied standing up. "Take care of Lila while I'm gone Shan." She said trying to mask her nervousness.

"I've been waiting for those two to get together." Shannon said watching Nicole and Mike talk.

"How long has the flirting been happening?" Lila asked.

"Too long." Shannon said turning back to her. Another awkward silence fell and Shannon laughed nervously. "So... what are you doing until your flight?"

"Well, Steven offered to let me take a nap in his office."

"Long day?"

"Very." Lila said with a smile.

"Looks like Nicole is in a good mood." Shannon said turning Lila's attention back to other side of the catering area. Nicole was smiling from ear to ear, rocking nervously side to side. "I guess I should get out of here and leave you two to girl talk."

"Thanks again for this morning Shannon." Lila said as Shannon stood up.

"It was my pleasure." He said with a smile. "Listen, umm tomorrow after the show.. If you're not busy that is would you..."

"Oh my God Lila!" Nicole said almost screaming as she made her way back over to the table. "Oops, did I interrupt something?"

"No, it's ok Nicole." Shannon said putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you both tomorrow." He looked towards Lila and smiled softly with a nod. Nicole waited until he was out of the room before sitting down.

"Did I completely screw something up?" She asked a worried look on her face. Lila just smiled.

"Nah, not at all. So what's up, what's with the screaming?" She asked with a quizzical look. Nicole didn't completely believe her, but she knew Lila wouldn't give anything away about what just happened.

"Well, remember how you told me to ask Mike out?" Nicole said her hands shaking a little.

"Yes..."

"Well, I didn't have to. He asked me out!" She said the last part loudly and immediately turned bright red.

"Congratulations!" Lila screamed. "See today is turning out to be amazing isn't it?"

"HELL YES!" Nicole said brightly. "And this means tomorrow night you and I will be going clubbing and you'll meet some of the top wrestlers."

"Like who?"

"Well Mike usually goes out with John Morrison, Cena, Orton, probably Matt Hardy and Shannon too." She said nudging Lila.

"Well, why don't we go out to lunch, my treat and celebrate your new relationship?" Lila said standing.

"I'm up for it chica!" Nicole said standing up with her. "Let's go."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Several hours later Lila was sitting on yet another plane waiting to fly to Miami. She closed her eyes and rested her head against her seat. She hated flying. The seats were pretty comfortable, even in coach, and she was just hoping the flight would go by quickly.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here." Shannon Moore said softly. Lila's eyes shot open to see Shannon placing his carry on bag into the over-head compartment. He took a seat next to her.

"Is this really your seat?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yep. I guess I'm just lucky like that." He said with a smile. Lila covered her mouth as she yawned. "I take it you never took that nap?"

"No, I took Nicole out for lunch and we ended up just talking most of the day."

"She excited that Mike asked her out?" Lila looked at him with questioning eyes. "Mike told me he was going to."

"A ha, I see. Anyway, yeah she was really excited. I don't think she stopped smiling once." Lila said before yawning again.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Shannon asked.

"Awe, and leave you all alone with no one to talk to?"

"I have my iPod, besides you're going to want to be fully rested by tomorrow night." He said with a serious look. Lila shrugged her shoulders before bundling up her hoodie and leaning it against the window.

"Don't let me sleep too long." She said with a smile.

"Oh I promise I wont." Shannon replied putting in his earphones. Lila slowly drifted to sleep. She was only asleep for an hour when her weight shifted and she began leaning against Shannon. Needless to say, he didn't mind. A smile crossed his face as he leaned his head on hers and fell into a content sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Lila felt an arm wrapped around her shoulders and she snuggled against the body next to her. For a moment she was unsure of where she was. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she remembered who she was lying next to. She turned her gaze upward and saw that Shannon was still asleep. She couldn't help realizing the intoxicating smell Shannon had. She felt him shift his weight and she looked up again only to connect with those beautiful eyes.

"Hi." He said softly. She began to pull away, but he held onto her tightly. "Don't go. This is comfortable." She giggled.

"Sorry Shannon, but we're here." Lila said pulling away. He became aware that the plane had already touched down on the runway and was coming to a stop.

"That was one of the best flights I've had." He said stretching.

"Uh huh. Sure." The plane finally came to a stop and they both grabbed their carry-on luggage and headed off the plane. "So where are you staying?"

"The Hilton." Shannon said, sleep still lacing his voice.

"Me too actually."

"Want to share a cab?"

"I think Jon got a car for me." Lila said meekly. Shannon nodded. "Would you like a ride?"

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Shannon asked picking up his bag off the luggage cart.

"No, not at all. It will save you some money." Lila said grabbing her own bag. "Thanks." She said as Shannon picked up her suitcase.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do." He said with a kind smile. It took them a few minutes to find the car and by the time they reached the hotel it was almost 1 AM. They both checked in and headed to the elevator. "Which floor?" Shannon asked.

"9 if you wouldn't mind." Lila said after checking her card. Shannon pressed 9 on the elevator.

"Are you on 9 too?" Lila asked, noting he hadn't pressed another button.

"No, 10, but I am going to be a gentleman and walk you to your room." He said nonchalently. Lila blushed as the elevator doors opened on the 9th floor. Shannon once again carried Lila's suitcase and she slid her card into the door and opened it slowly. She carried her luggage inside before coming back and leaning on the door frame.

"Well, I think I have said this to you several times and I feel I'm going to have to many more times but thank you. You know for carrying my suitcase and walking me to my room. Oh and being my pillow on the plane."

"I especially liked that one." He said a light blush touching his cheeks.

"Yeah, me too." Lila replied.

"Are you going out with Mike and Nicole after the show tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think so." Lila said looking more at the ground. "Are you going to be there?"

"Most likely." Shannon said shrugging his shoulders.

"I'd like that."

"Oh would you." Their eyes connected and Shannon moved slowly forward. She felt his breath hot against her lips. "I'd like that too." She couldn't take her eyes away from his. It happened suddenly when she felt his lips softly upon hers. It was over quickly, but Lila wasn't sure she'd be able to move without her legs giving out on her. He smiled that gorgeous smile at her and she thought she would faint.

"Good night Shannon." She managed to say, almost breathlessly.

"Good night Lila." He said before walking slowly back to the elevator. He turned around briefly and smiled at her before pushing the button and disappearing from her sight. She managed to make her way back into her room and she collapsed on the bed. She closed her eyes and touched her lips as a smile appeared on her face. She had a feeling that this summer was going to change her life.


	4. The First Show

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU to extremeshan81, 68 stones, Peleinferno (lil sis!), mltjrbabe, Missmurder424, and rory21 for your wonderful reviews! You guys keep me going!! Also, thank you to anyone who reads my stories and adds my self or my stuff to their alert/favorites list. You all freakin rock!**

"Finally CM Punk will gain the win over Chavo Guerrero with the GTS." The voice droned. It was like the energizer bunny. It kept going and going and going. Various superstars were situated around a table talking about the various scripts for both of the shows tonight. Lila was sitting in the back corner with other photographers and employee's waiting for their own instructions. Lila's mind however was somewhere else entirely. She couldn't get Shannon off her mind, especially that kiss. What did this mean? Did he want to ask her out? Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped slightly.

"Pay attention, here comes your assignments." Another photographer said. Lila couldn't remember his name to save her life. He was younger, maybe mid twenties with bright blonde hair and emerald eyes. If she wasn't thinking about Shannon so much she probably would have taken another look at the man beside her.

"Lila Hotchner?" The droning voice called.

"Yes sir?" She said confidently making her presence known but she quickly regretted it when the eyes of everyone in the room, including the talent were suddenly on her and her alone.

"Right, welcome to the WWE first of all. Everyone Miss Hotchner comes to us from NYU and she'll be with us for the summer. Ragel says she's pretty damn good, so try to look your best out there."

"T-thank you sir." She said timidly trying to hide her blushing face from the room.

"Thanks is not needed. Anyway, tonight you'll be photographing Shannon Moore and Jimmy Wang Yang vs John Morrison and The Miz at the Smackdown taping, approximately 7:55..." Lila pulled out a notepad and began writing. "Then you'll photograph Drusilla vs. Kelly Kelly at the ECW live show at 10:15, and finally CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero starting at 10:40. Got that?"

"Yes sir." She said adding a last word to her notepad and shutting it.

"Good, can't wait to see the photo's. Ok, Dale..." The droner continued on to the next photographer. Dale, that was the name of the guy beside her. After what seemed like hours they were finally allowed out of the cramped meeting room. Nicole was standing outside of the door waiting for her.

"Hey chica!" She said brightly falling into step beside Lila. "So, who ya photographing tonight?"

"Well, Shannon and Jimmy vs Morrison and Miz.."

"Bet you'll enjoy that."

"You and Kelly Kelly"

"Of course"

"and CM Punk vs Chavo." Lila finished.

"Well, hopefully you'll have fun tonight, especially watching Shannon." A smile appeared on Lila's face.

"So, have you seen him today?" Nicole asked.

"No, I saw him last night though." Lila said the smile still on her face. Nicole raised her eyebrows in surprise. "It's not what you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking anything." Nicole replied innocently.

"Right... Anyway, he ended up having the seat next to me on the plane."

"Wow, talk about coincidence."

"Tell me about it. Then we shared a car to the hotel we're both staying at, and he walked me to my room."

"Why do I feel like you are leaving something out?" Nicole asked suspiciously. Lila just smiled again. "You are leaving something out! Spill it."

"He, uh... Well he just.. It was nothing really I mean.."

"OUT WITH IT!"

"He kissed me." Lila blurted out.

"I knew it." Nicole said confidently. "I knew he liked you."

"It was probably nothing." Lila said, trying to keep herself on level ground.

"Uh huh, nothing, right sure..." Nicole said with a laugh.

"How's Mike?" Lila asked trying to change the subject.

"Nice subject change, but I'll allow it. Pending another grilling later. Anyway, he's doing great."

"Did you to see each other after we had lunch?" Lila asked grateful.

"Yeah, we shared a cab to the airport, then to the hotel. However, unlike you their was no romantic kiss at the door of my hotel room." She said almost dejectedly.

"No?"

"No, but we did have the thousands of romantic kisses in the cab." She said with a cat who swallowed the canary smile.

"You little trickster!" Lila said smiling. "So, how was it?"

"God it was everything I hoped it would be. When he first kissed me it was soft and sweet, his lips were so soft. I thought I was in heaven. Then slowly but surely they became more passionate. It was like he was hungry for them."

"Thanks for that mental image." Lila said before laughing.

"Hey girls!" Came Mike's voice brightly. He run up behind them picking Nicole up and spinning her around. He set her back down only to softly touch her chin and bring her lips to his.

"God guys get a room." Another voice came from behind them. Lila recognized the Shaman of Sexy immediately.

"John, this is Lila Hotchner." Mike said breaking away from Nicole. "Lila this is John Hennigan."

"Nice to meet you." He said shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you too."

"So, you excited to be a part of the WWE."

"Overly. I can't wait to actually start taking action shots tonight." Lila said excitedly.

"Taking pictures of anyone good?" John asked genuinely interested.

"I am photographing the two of you." Lila said with a smirk. "So, I guess you could say so." John laughed.

"You're going to watch us tear up Moore and Wang Yang?" He asked.

"Careful John. Shannon has a soft spot in Lila's heart." Nicole said, Lila could have smacked her.

"Is that so?" John asked with a teasing tone. Lila's face turned red, some from annoyance. "Don't worry about it Lila." John's sweet tone made her raise an eyebrow. "Don't let these people get to you. Just have fun with it." Lila smiled at him.

"Thanks" She said softly.

"Now..." he started putting his arm around her. "Why don't you tell me about you and Shannon." Lila looked toward Nicole and Mike who again were in a passionate embrace.

"They're going to be like that a while, aren't they?" Lila asked.

"Yeah." John said smiling. "Listen, you might not know me well but I assure you I am great at advice."

"Lila!" She looked up to see Dale at the end of the hallway. "There's a few things we have to go over, come with me to ringside!"

"Be right there." She called after him. Sliding out from under John's arm she smiled at him. "I'll take you up on that offer John at a date yet to be determined."

"I look forward to it." He said with a soft smile. "It was nice meeting you Lila."

"You too John. Oh, and tell those two good-bye." John nodded his head and looked toward Mike and Nicole before rolling his eyes. As she walked to the ring Lila couldn't believe how different John was from his in ring character. The business was seeming more and more like a family.

- - - - - - - -

Several hours later Lila sat ringside John and Mike had just come out from backstage and she couldn't believe how many boo's they were getting. Her heart began to pound as she heard Jimmy Wang Yang's music start. While she was trying to concentrate on a picture she had just taken of John it was difficult knowing Shannon was making his way down the ramp. As they stepped into the ring Lila couldn't take her eyes of Shannon. He looked amazing. His tattoo's were gorgeous she shook herself back into reality realizing she had missed some great shots of them getting into the ring. '_Dammit!' _she thought to herself. _'I have to concentrate.' _ The match began with Jimmy and John, and Lila quickly found her grove. Dale had showed her the various positions around the ring she could move to, and places she should avoid. As Jimmy tagged Shannon in she moved for a better position. He was amazing in the ring especially with John. The two of them made a great match together. As The Miz cheated Shannon went flying over he top rope. Lila thought she felt her heart skip a beat, yet she somehow managed to snap the picture. As he hit the ground with a sickening thud Lila fought of the urge to make sure he was alright and moved to a new position to get new pictures. Morrison and Miz ended up winning the match and Lila made her way backstage through a path in the crowd that Dale had shown her.

"Did you like the show?" A voice asked when she finally made it back towards the locker rooms. She smiled before turning around.

"That depends, did you get seriously injured from that fall?" She heard Shannon laugh. When she turned around and saw Shannon was still in his wrestling gear.

"Nah, don't worry about me."

"You sure you're alright?" Lila asked, still worried.

"Oh, I've taken much worse bumps than that. I'll be a little sore in the morning, but I'll be fine." Lila tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm glad you're alright. In case your interested it think I got a great picture of it."

"Yeah, I saw you taking pictures." Shannon said nervously rubbing his neck. "So, when do you have to go out next?"

"Not until ECW starts. I am doing Nicole's match." She said nervously cracking her knuckles.

"Oh, would you like to maybe hang out for a bit?"

"Sure." Lila said brightly. Shannon smiled. "Just let me take my camera to the main office and I'd love to."

"Great.. Awesome." Shannon said with a bright smile. "I'm in the locker room right next to catering. Just knock."

"I'll be there soon."

"Okay." He said with a nervous tone. Neither of them seemed to want to move. An awkward silence passed over them and then they both laughed nervously. Shannon seemed to gain some confidence and he moved closer to her. "I'll see you soon." He kissed her cheek softly. Lila smiled before turning towards the offices. She walked into one of the offices and closed the door behind her. With a sigh she fell against the door.

"How's it going?" Dale asked with a smirk staring up from some photo's.

"Perfect." Lila replied. She took her camera off her shoulder and handed it to Dale.

"I'm not gonna ask."

"Might be best." Lila said with a smile. She handed her camera to Dale. "Anyway, there's a nice picture of Morrison with his finisher, and of Moore getting thrown over the top rope."

"Sounds good. You taken off until ECW?"

"I'll be around the arena if you need me." Lila said headed toward the door.

"With anyone in particular?"

"Good-bye Dale." Lila made her way to the locker room beside catering and knocked. Shane Helms opened the door.

"Can I help you?" He asked eying her nervously.

"I'm here to see Shannon." Lila said with a smile. Shane didn't move. He probably thought she was some crazy fan. "My name's Lila."

"Oh, OH!" He said with a smile. He opened the door and motioned for her to come in. She saw John sitting watching television with Shelton Benjamin. Also in the room were Matt Hardy, Shannon, and CM Punk. Shane closed the door behind her. "So you're the Lila we hear so much about."

"What do you mean?" She asked turning back to Shane. He started to say something, but was quickly cut off.

"Hey Lila." Shannon said making her turn around.

"Hey Shannon. Sorry if it took longer than expected." She said with a slight smirk.

"Perfect timing actually." He said throwing a wet towel onto his duffle bag. "Let me introduce you to everyone. Well you've met Shane. That's Matt." He said pointing to the elder Hardy brother. "That's Shelton, Phil, but you should call him Punk, and that's.."

"Hey John." Lila said with a smile.

"Mighty nice to see you again." John said smiling.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Lila said feeling confident knowing Shannon had talked about her.

"Get any good shots?" John asked.

"Yeah, several. So, quick question, especially for you Shane." Lila said as Shane perked up. "What does Shannon say about me?" All the guys started laughing.

"I could tell you, and I want to... but I have the feeling Shannon might kill me." Shane said looking towards Shannon who was glaring daggers at him.

"Well, Shannon, what do you say about me?" Lila asked with a smirk. He walked over to her.

"Maybe I'll tell you, one day." He said his southern accent thick. He grabbed her chin and his lips crushed down on hers. Lila could hear the guys laughing and clapping, she pulled away quickly. "What's wrong?" Shannon asked.

"Nothing." She said semi-curtly. "I should actually go and find Nicole. I wanted to ask her a few questions about her entrance." Ok, so it wasn't the best lie, but it was all she could think of. "Nice meeting you all. See you later John." Lila quickly left and leaned on the wall outside. She heard the door to the locker room open and shut again.

"What's going on?" John asked as he stood next to her.

"Nothing John." Lila said quietly.

"I know you like Shannon."

"So..."

"And I know he likes you."

"For fear of repeating myself... So..."

"So, why'd you run out." He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, he's never once told me he's liked me. Yes he's shown it, but damn John. He kissed me like that to impress you guys. I mean, I'm not angry. I would just, I don't know. Maybe like to be asked out first?" She said shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sorry I am putting this on you."

"Nah, anytime. And Shan was just showing off for the guys. Let him know how you feel it will be fine." Lila hugged him noting the she could probably break cement on his abs.

"Thanks John. Now I should probably check my pictures and get my camera ready for the rest of the night."

"Alright babe. You comin out tonight?"

"Yep, Nicole will make me if I don't"

"Save me a dance?" John asked with a smile.

"Why of course." Lila with a nod. "See ya John." He waved as she headed back down to Dale's office. The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully. Nicole, AKA: Drusilla beat the living hell out of Kelly Kelly which gave Lila a laugh. She got an amazing picture of Kelly crying out in pain. As she snapped the shot she knew she had to make doubles to give to Nicole. The Punk match was the main event and one of the best. Punk was amazing in the ring and Lila knew she got the best pictures of the night from him. Not to mention she captured an amazing one of Chavo doing Eddie's signature dance. Eddie was always one of her favorite superstars, and she wished she could have been lucky enough to meet him. As the match ended Lila waited for the crowd to filter out before she made her way backstage. She walked into Dale's office and set her camera down.

"So, what do we need to do then?" Lila asked indicating her camera.

"Go have some fun or get some sleep." Dale said yawning. "We'll take care of this tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Lila asked.

"Yes, go on now. Have fun." He said with a wink. Lila made her way back down to catering. Suddenly she was tackled by Nicole.

"Hey you stayed on your feet!" She said surprised. "Ever considered wrestling?"

"Yeah, no." Lila said smiling.

"You ready to go out?"

"Eh..."

"You're going." Nicole said with a smile. "We'll go back to the hotel, change into something cute, then head on out with the boys."

"You're not going to let me get out of this are you?" Nicole shook her head. "Alright you win."

"Yay! Plus Shannon will be there."

"Ok." Lila said shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, I heard about what happened." Nicole said looking at the floor. "That boy was beating himself up from the time you left his locker room until I last saw him like 20 minutes ago."

"Really?" Lila asked a little concerned.

"That boy has fallen hard for you girl." Nicole smiled. "Just talk to him tonight, and try to have fun. Alright?"

"Yeah." Lila said falling in step with Nicole as they headed out of the arena.

"I can't hear you."

"Yeah."

"Ok, a little louder Lila."

"YES!" She said laughing.


	5. A Little Dancing Makes Everything Better

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Thank you SOOOOOOO much to Peleinferno(lil sis!), extremeshan81, mltjrbabe, and lknights91 for your wonderful awesome reviews! Also, thanks to ANYONE reading this story... you are all super sweet!**

The music was so loud on the dance floor of the club that Lila wondered if she'd even be able to hear herself think. Luckily the booth that John and Mike had reserved was near the back on the balcony. Nicole had talked Lila into wearing some ring gear that Ashley had lent her. She was wearing a very short school girl skirt that was striped black and red, and a black tank-top with red lace tied up the front. Needless to say she felt very, very exposed.

"Holy shit look at you!" John said catching a glimpse of Lila. "You look fantastic!" He said hugging her.

"I told her she did." Nicole said smiling brightly.

"Speaking of looking good..." Miz said wrapping his arms around Nicole. "You look beautiful." His kissed her neck and Nicole started giggling. John and Lila spoke simultaneously.

"Oh God." They both looked towards each other and laughed.

"Shut up fuckers." Mike said smiling and Nicole playfully slapped his shoulder.

"Language, language." He captured his lips with hers.

"So, John." Lila said sliding into the booth next to him. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just fine." He took a sip of his mixed drink. "And yourself?"

"Just peachy." She looked back toward Nicole and Mike. "Don't they have to come up for air?"

"You would be surprised how long Mike can hold his breath." John said with a slight laugh.

"And you would know... how?" Lila asked.

"Nope, don't even think about going there." He said shaking his head. "Talked to Shannon?"

"No... I haven't seen him yet. Did he say anything when you went back to the locker room."

"He was really confused... at first." John said before taking another sip.

"What do you mean, at first?"

"I asked him if he'd ever asked you out." John said shrugging his shoulders. "And I told him that I knew you liked him and maybe he should just get on with actually asking you out and stop dicking around."

"You didn't have to do that John." Lila said looking at him in shock.

"I know, but he wanted my honest opinion. And honestly, I think he better step up before someone else comes along and takes that chance." He said looking at his drink.

"Someone else?" Lila asked, her heart beating a little faster than normal. John just smiled still looking at his drink.

"It is possible that someone other than just Shannon Moore can find you attractive." He said with a small laugh.

"Someone like who?" Lila asked staring at him intently. Their eyes locked for a moment.

"Whatcha kids talkin about?" Mike asked sliding into the booth.

"Hey chica I brought you a drink." Nicole said handing her a mixed drink.

"What is it?" Lila asked.

"It's just a cosmo. What, not a big drinker?"

"Nah, drinking's fine, but I'm not afraid to just have a whiskey."

"I like this girl." Mike said with a smile. John just nodded.

"Ohh! I love this song!" Nicole exclaimed. Everyone remained quiet for a moment to listen to what was playing. It was the Umbrella remix featuring Chris Brown.

_because_

_when the sun shine well shine together_

_you know ill be here forever_

_although its a not a rain outside_

_girl its gettin late and you can stay the night_

_but you can dip out anytime whenever_

_i can call a car i aint tryna stress ya_

_im looking for the one with the glass slippa'_

_baby girl you can be my cinderella (ella ella eh eh eh)_

"You wanna dance?" John asked shyly, she couldn't believe he was being shy.

"Sure." She said with a smile. The two made their way to the dance floor. John pulled her close as the two began dancing.

"So... Shannon?" Mike asked Nicole.

"He hasn't asked her out so technically she's up for grabs so to speak." she replied shrugging her shoulders. John and Lila kept dancing, their bodies moving to the music. Little did Lila know Shannon was looking on from the other side of the club.

"What is she doing?" Shannon asked a loud.

"She's dancing man." Matt said after taking a shot.

"Good one captain obvious." Shane said slapping his back. "Man, John said you should ask her out right? She likes you just ask her out."

"If she likes me then why's she dancing with him?" He asked taking his eyes off of them.

"He asked her, their friends. Don't worry about it man. Have a drink, then go ask her to dance." Matt said shrugging his shoulders. "100 bucks says she says yes." He handed Shannon a shot. The song finished and John and Lila made their way back to the table.

"Thank you for the dance." John said with a smile.

"Well thanks for asking me." Lila said before taking a sip of her drink.

"Hey Nic!" A cheery voice said. The group turned to find Brian Kendrick at the end of the table.

"Hey Spanky!" She said brightly. "Whatcha doing?"

"Hear what song is playing?" Again silence fell over the table.

"I Think I'm Paranoid by Garbage?" Lila asked.

"Exactly." He said with a smile. "Wanna dance Nic?"

"Sure." She looked towards Mike who just smiled sweetly at her and kissed her cheek. "Let's go Spanky!" The two headed off onto the dance floor.

"Oh those crazy kids." John said laughing watching them dance.

"They've been friends forever." Mike said with a smile. "I can't remember how they met though."

"Is he still in a tag team with Paul London?" Lila asked.

"Yep. They would be really good competition." Mike said thinking aloud.

"I hear that." John said nodding. Lila took another sip of her drink.

"Are you coming with us for the next show?" John asked her.

"Actually I'm not sure. They haven't really told me if I'll be photographing you guys for a while, or if I'll go to a RAW show next."

"Stay with us, we're better." Mike said with his Miz attitude showing. A comfortable silence fell over the group as they watching Nicole and Brian dance like idiots on the main floor.

"Do you think they know they look like that?" John ask, his head slightly coked to one side.

"No idea." Lila replied mimicking his movements. The song finished and Nicole grabbed Brian into a bear hug before running back up to the table.

"That was so freakin sweet!" She said sitting next to Mike. They all looked on in amusement as she gulped down the rest of her drink.

"Yeah, you were... um... great? Yeah, great babe." Mike said kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, I know we were dancing like idiots. That was planned."

"Thank God for that." Lila said as another swig of Cosmopolitan went down her throat. Nicole narrowed her eyes, but soon began to laugh.

"Lila, you should invite Shannon and the other guys over here." Nicole said with a smile. She looked at Mike and John who were both nodding. She shrugged her shoulders and remained quiet for a few moments just listening to the music.

"Ooh! My turn to say I love this song, and before another damn awkward silence falls over the table, it's All The Things She Said by t.A.T.u."

"I like this song too!" Nicole said brightly. She had a slight flush to her cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment.

"Hey everyone." Came a voice, laced with a thick southern accent. She couldn't believe the timing.

"Hey Shan. What's up?" Nicole asked.

"Actually, umm Lila, I was wondering if you would like to dance." he asked holding out his hand.

"I would love to." She replied softly.

"Mike, can we dance tooooo?" Nicole asked a little buzzed.

"Sure thing darlin." The two couples made their way to the main dance floor.

_I keep asking myself, wondering how_

_I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out_

_Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me_

_Nobody else so we can be free_

_(Nobody else so we can be free)_

_All the things she said_

_All the things she said_

_Running through my head_

_Running through my head_

_Running through my head_

_All the things she said_

_All the things she said_

_Running through my head_

_Running through my head_

Shannon pulled Lila close, their eyes connected. At that moment she didn't care that he hadn't asked her out. She would have given anything to have him kiss her. Almost like Mike was doing to Nicole a couple feet away, but this time he didn't. The song continued and surprisingly Shannon was an amazing dancer, or it might have just seemed that way, she never really looked at his feet. As the song came to a close they just stood their staring at each other.

"Thank you Shannon, that was a lot of fun." Lila finally said.

"Thanks for dancing." He said softly. Lila smiled at him and began to walk away but he softly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Wait. I wanted to apologize for today."

"Shannon, it's ok. I'm sorry I left."

"No, I shouldn't have done that. I was showing off for the guys and I wasn't thinking." He said still holding on lightly to her wrist. "I'm sorry."

"Trust me, it's alright." She said smiling.

"Actually, I was wondering if you might, if you're not busy, or if you know you're not taken or have something else going on like another guy or.."

"Shannon?" Lila said stopping him.

"Yes."

"What are you trying to ask?" He took a deep breath.

"Lila, would you like to go out with me sometime?" Lila smiled and looked down towards her hands for a moment.

"Yeah, I'd really like that." She said softly.

"How about tomorrow? We always have Wednesday's off. So if you're free and they don't have you working would you like to go out to dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket.

"May I have your number?" He asked handing her the phone. He just smiled as she added her name and number to his contacts. She handed him his phone and looked back towards her table, then his.

"Would you, Matt, and Shane like to join us? I mean we have more than enough room at our booth plus extra chairs to spare." She offered motioning back to her booth.

"Are you sure the guys and Nicole wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, they actually suggested I go and invite you guys over before you came to ask me to dance."

"Alright, I'll go get the guys." He said his mood noticeably lighter than it had been when they started dancing. Lila made her way back to the booth.

"So, how'd it go?" Nicole asked. She was working on another drink.

"He and the guys are coming over, I hope you guys don't mind."

"No, not at all." Mike said after taking a swig of his beer. Lila looked at John who just smiled and gave her a nod.

"Hey guys." Shane said loudly.

"Shane!" Mike said with the same volume to his voice. All the guys exchanged handshakes and Matt and Shane each sat the end of the table in chairs while Shannon slid in next to Lila.

"How was your first day darlin'?" Matt asked Lila.

"Fine, and getting better." She said with a smile.

"That's what I like to hear." He replied raising his glass to her and taking a sip. The conversation and the drinks continued to flow smoothly, with the volume increasing with every shot.

"Listen to me Nicole." Mike said slurring every word. "No really baby listen to me."

"What?" She asked slurring just the same.

"You are beautiful!" He exclaimed. Shannon and Lila began laughing. "You two SHUT UP, she's beautiful, and she's all mine."

"Awee, that's so sweet." Nicole replied. The two threw their arms around each other and began fiercely making out.

"Hey guys. Who dares me to go outside and jump off the top of Shannon's hummer?" Shane asked pathetically trying to stand.

"Shane, that's a bad idea." Lila said trying to make him sit back down. She was pretty damn buzzed but she was no where near Shane or Matt.

"Man she's right sit your ass down." Shannon said forcing Shane back into his seat.

"We're all pretty much fucking out of it. I suggest we call cabs and get back to the hotel." John said rubbing his forehead. "I'll go with Shane and Matt considering I don't think they can make in on their own. Lila, you go with Shan and Mike..." He through a napkin and hit Mike in the head.

"What?" He asked throwing it back.

"We're calling cabs, and you're riding back with Nicole." John said still rubbing his forehead.

"I have no problem with that." Mike said smirking. Once the three different cabs arrived it was a bitch just getting Matt and Shane into it.

"Are you sure you don't want help John?" Shannon asked.

"Nah, man. I'm good, but thanks." He said with a smile. "Make sure Lila gets back to the hotel safe.

"I will man." He turned and saw Lila talking to Nicole.

"Text me when you get to your room and let me know you're alright." Lila said giving Nicole a hug.

"No problem chica. Thanks for hanging out."

"Thanks for inviting me." Mike and Shannon shook hands before Nicole and Mike got into their cab. Shannon opened the door to the back of the last cab and waited for Lila to get in before climbing in himself.

"The Hilton please." He said as Lila rested her head softly on his shoulder. By the time they got to the hotel Lila had fallen asleep. Shannon paid the cab driver before picking Lila up and carrying her into the hotel. He set her down on a lobby chair briefly to grab the room card from her purse before picking her up again and making his way to the elevator. By the time he got her into her room and into her bed he, himself was exhausted. He sat at the edge of the bed for a moment to catch his breath.

"Shannon?" Lila said softly sitting up and looking around. "How did I get here?"

"I carried you. You should get some sleep darlin."

"You carried me?" She asked shocked. He smiled and nodded.

"Now, I have to get going." He said standing up. She stood up with him and wrapped her arms around him. As they pulled away he looked deep into her dark brown eyes. "Lila, may I kiss you?"

"Yes." She said softly with a smile. His lips brushed against hers, softly at first. She pushed forward and her lips came crashing down on his. She felt him smile against her his tongue softly grazed her bottom lip. She opened her mouth slowly and his tongue touched hers sending a spark of electricity through her body. As she pulled away she knew she would have trouble walking for a few moments.

"Good night Lila." He said with a smile before leaving the hotel room. She smiled once again and fell onto her bed and quickly into a dream filled sleep.


	6. A Date

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

_**A/N: Ok guys, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, and I am sorry if it's kinda slow and boring. For some reason I had trouble with it... Please stick with me and I promise I will try to make the next chapter more interesting..**_

**BIG THANK YOU to Peleinferno (lil sis!), AngelRose82, Missmurder424, rory21, unlimited emerald0307, and extremeshan81 for your awesome reviews! You all kick ass and I couldn't thank you enough. Also thanks to everyone who is sticking with this story and reading it. I hope you guys love it!!**

Lila sat in the coffee shop of the hotel nursing her hang over. She had already taken tylenol, but it didn't seem to cut it.

"Hi..." Nicole said glumly sitting down beside her coffee in hand.

"Hangover?"

"Worse than I've ever had." She took a sip. "You?"

"Oh, it feels like someone took a baseball bat to my head a couple of times." Lila said before take another sip of her latte. "Did you have fun with Mike last night?" Nicole laughed and blushed.

"Yeah, I had some fun with Mike. He's such a sweetheart Lila. I can't even being to explain it. He made sure I got back to the room, reminded me to text you, and stayed until I fell asleep."

"Damn, he's got it bad." Lila said with a slight laugh. She made the sound of a cracking whip and Nicole laughed.

"Speaking of, so how are you and Shannon doing?"

"Great. He's taking me out tonight. An actual date. I haven't been on one of those in a while."

"Where's he taking you?" Nicole asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Um, I'm actually not entirely sure. He really didn't say. We were both so tired by the time we got back to the hotel though that I just crashed and I assume he did too."

"Hey girls." Matt Hardy said from behind them, his voice was strained and they turned to see a pale beaten looking man. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all Matt." Lila replied. "I take it your morning isn't going well."

"If by not going well you mean was hugging a toilet for a while and my head feels like I just took a full on chair shot... Then you are correct."

"You and Shane were out of it last night." Nicole said rubbing her forehead. "I mean I was literally attached to Mike for a good portion of the night, but even I noticed how bad it was."

"It couldn't have been that horrible." He said, trying to stick up for himself and his best friend.

"Yeah, Shane wanted to jump off of the top of Shannon's hummer." Lila said shaking her head. "Which reminds me, we need to all go pick up our cars at the club."

"Yeah... yeah we'll get to that." Nicole said as she laid her head on the table.

"The guys and I all went in Shannon's hummer so only one of us really have to get our ass back down there."

"Can we just stop talking for a while and enjoy our coffee? I honestly feel like we're all screaming at each other. It's just painful." Nicole said her voice semi-muffled. She hadn't picked her head up from the table. The three of them sat in silence for a few moments, different sounds in the shop made their heads continue to throb and it wasn't long before they all decided to retreat back into their hotel rooms to get a little bit more sleep. Lila was awoken to a knock at her door about an hour later. She put her pillow over her head praying whoever it was would just go away, but to no avail. The knocking resumed. She pulled herself out of bed and opened her door.

"Morning beautiful." John Morrison said with a slight smile. "I come bearing gifts." He held out his hands containing coffee and some toast.

"I guess I can let you in then." She closed the door behind him and he set the food on the table beside her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit... but I guess it could be worse. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, not too bad. I swear it was about to take a bullet to get those to assholes back to their room last night though." He said sitting on the edge of her bed. "Seriously, they were so drunk I don't know how they didn't succumb to alcohol poisioning."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with them John." Lila sat down next to him. "I felt really bad."

"Don't worry about it. You looked like you were having fun anyway, and I wanted to make sure those two got back here safely." He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Did you have fun last night."

"Yeah.. I did. Thanks to you."

"Me?"

"You talked to Shannon... You barely know me and yet you made a point to jog some sense into him just for me. Why would you do that?"

"Well, I used to date Melina, for real not kayfabe or anything, and I was more in love with her than I could ever say. Then when she left me I was shocked and hurt, I didn't think I'd ever get over it." He took a deep breath. "I saw the way your eyes lit up when I mentioned Shannon, even if you'd only met him a day previous. I just thought it was the right thing to do." Lila didn't really know what to say at first she was pretty much speechless. She looked at her hands before giving him a confused look.

"What did you mean last night?"

"Haha, could you be anymore vague Lila?"

"Before Mike and Nicole came back with drinks. What did you mean?" John suddenly became very uncomfortable. He shifted nervously on the bed and cleared his throat.

"It meant exactly what I said. Shannon Moore isn't the only guy to find you attractive. I mean, you're.. You're beautiful really." Lila's eyes widened. "Don't give me that shocked look. Listen, I just mean that I kind of like you, but I am not going to get in the way of you and Shannon." He laughed nervously. "I don't know why I just told you that." Lila wrapped her arms around him and John froze for a moment, but slowly she could feel his muscles relax as he turned and hugged her back.

"Thank you John." She said quietly. As she pulled away his eyes connected with hers and he smiled.

"Now, lets get to that coffee and toast before it becomes exceedingly cold." The two sat talking for almost two hours. Lila was shocked at how much a like she and John were, not only in music choices but movies and books. He was so different from his on screen personality that it was almost frightening. After John left Lila hopped into the shower. The feeling of the hot water was amazing and her headache slowly began to subside. As she pulled on her NYU t-shirt their was another knock at the door, and she opened it to reveal a surprisingly energetic Shannon Moore.

"Why hello there." He said a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "May I come in?"

"By all means." Lila stepped away from the door allowing him into the hotel room. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly alright considering how much we all drank last night. More importantly how are you?"

"Better now that I got some food in me and took a shower. Don't you have a hangover?"

"I did, but once I took some aspirin I felt a lot better. I'm sorry you're not feeling back too 100 sweetie." He said before kissing her forehead. He put both arms around her and she rested her head against his chest. She suddenly felt more at ease then she had all day. "We don't have to go anywhere if you don't want. It's what you'll feel comfortable with."

"Why don't you pick? As long as it doesn't involve alcohol I think I'm going to be fine." She said smiling up at him.

"Well, why don't we go out for dinner, your choice of course, then watch a movie back here or in my room? A little bit of both?" He suggested with a smile.

"Sounds great." She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled away, but he kissed her again this time more intensely. She felt his tongue graze her bottom lip and she parted her lips. As his tongue massaged hers she could have sworn she was in heaven. As their lips finally parted he rested his forehead against hers.

"How do you do that to me?" He asked a smile dancing on his lips.

"Do what?"

"Make me feel like everything in the world had dissolved except for us."

"How do you come up with lines that seem to be straight from romance novels?" He laughed at her questioned and took a step backward smiling at her.

"Nice one." He said as she bowed. "So, where would you like to go to dinner?" Lila thought for a moment.

"I hope you don't think I'm too conventional or anything, but do you know if they have an Olive Garden around here?"

"See, I knew I liked you. That's one of my favorite places to eat, and yes there is one 2 blocks away." He said holding out his hand for her to take. "Ready?" She nodded, grabbed her purse, and followed Shannon out of the hotel room. Surprisingly on the way to the restaurant Shannon was only stopped by 2 people. Lila knew that if she and Shannon were to date exclusively that would happen a lot. She just smiled at he posed for a picture. The restaurant was all but deserted, but they were eating a bit early for dinner. They were seated and it was only a few minutes before the waiter came to take their order.

"Hi, My name is Corey and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get for you?" He said with a kind smile. Shannon nodded toward Lila and smiled.

"Alright, I will have the Chicken Alfredo please and an unsweetened ice tea." She said closing her menu.

"I think I'll have the same please." Shannon handed both menu's to the waiter and he quickly walked back toward the kitchen. The food came relatively quickly, probably because the place was so empty. The conversation covered everything from politics to movies and wrestling to history. Lila couldn't remember a time when she had a better conversation. Shannon was able to make her laugh with the slightest effort, and God did he love the way she laughed. At the end of the meal Lila reluctantly let Shannon pay and they headed back to the hotel hand in hand. As Lila opened the door to her hotel room she fell onto the bed and Shannon closed her door. He smiled down at her before raising his eyebrow.

"I don't like that look in your eyes Shannon..." Lila said sitting up. Shannon walked to the other side of the hotel room and took his shoes off before turning around and staring at the bed. "This can't be good." As Shannon started into a dead sprint Lila jumped off the bed in time to turn and see him do a flip onto right next to where she was.

"Awwwe, why'd you move?" He asked whining. "I would have landed that perfectly."

"You are insane Shannon Moore." Lila said sitting back onto the bed and moving towards him.

"Yeah, but that's what you love about me. My insanity is my spark." She just laughed and kissed him softly.

"So what did you want to watch?" She asked pulling away from him and grabbing her remote. She turned on the television and began flipping through the channels as he put his arms around her and pulled her body back into his.

"Whatever you want to watch is fine with me." He rested his head on top of hers. She continued flipping through channels until she stopped on "The Illusionist."

"Ok, this is perfect." She said throwing the remote to the foot of the bed and resting in his arms. She turned her body slightly so she could look up at him. His black and blonde streaked hair was falling around his face and Lila couldn't help but thinking about how amazing he looked. She leaned down and captured her lips with his. She turned around and pushed him onto the bed climbing on top of him. His hands roamed her back and sides before stopping at the lining of her shirt. As he touched the soft skin on her waist she felt chills go up her back, and a slight moan escaped her lips. He lifted her shirt slightly and he touched her bare back. She sat up slightly pulling her lips away from his.

"What's wrong?" He asked pushing himself onto his elbows.

"I just want to take it kind of slow, if that's alright with you." He leaned up and kissed her softly.

"We can go as fast or slow as you want." He said with a smile. She ran her hands through his hair and smiled. She rolled off of him and laid next to him resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and feeling his breathing. It was amazingly relaxing and she felt her body succumbing to sleep. She felt him move slightly.

"Please don't leave." She said as sleep laced her voice.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly.

"Positive." She said with a slight smile. He settled back down and wrapped his arms around her. He heard her breathing change and knew she had fallen into a deep sleep. As he looked down towards her, he couldn't help but smile.


	7. What Happened?

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Big THANK YOU to Peleinferno (lil sis!), extremeshan81, mltjrbabe, and rory21 for your amazing reviews! You guys definitely keep me going and I hope you guys love every chapter! Also, thanks to anyone reading this story! **

_**A/N: Ok so I am skipping about two months a head here. Lila and Shannon have been together ever since the end of chapter six... Anyway, onward! **_

"Thanks for coming with me guys." Lila said with a smile to Nicole and Mike. Nicole turned around and smiled back at Lila, who was sitting in the back seat of Mike's Explorer.

"It's no problem chica!"

"Yeah, I want to see the Hardy's anyway." Mike said not taking his eyes off of the road. They had been driving for a couple of hours headed towards Cameron, North Carolina. Matt was having a party at his house and Lila decided to bring along Mike and Nicole, after talking to Matt of course. Her heart was beating as they passed a sign saying, 'Welcome to Cameron.' She hadn't seen Shannon in a few days, and she missed him terribly. As hard as it was for her to believe, let alone her family, she had fallen head over heels for him. Lila wasn't one of those people to fall for someone easily. Stemming from a bad "first love" type of relationship she pretty much was terrified of it.

"So, did Matt say who all was going to be there?" Nicole asked.

"Umm, well the normal gang, also I think Chavo, Rey-Rey, and a bunch of Matt's Indy friends... Other than that I'm really not too sure." Lila said shrugging her shoulders. She could swear her heart was about to jump right out of her chest. She still got those excited butterflies when she knew she was going to see Shannon. Granted, Nicole said she got the same feeling around Mike still, so she knew it couldn't be all bad.

"Should we stop at a hotel first?" Mike asked slowing down as they hit the main town.

"No, I talked to Matt earlier. He said we could stay there. He has a few extra beds to spare." Lila said now anxiously looking out the windows. The town couldn't have been more beautiful, especially at sunset. Lila had been to Matt's house a few times when she stayed with Shannon, but for some reason this time just felt different. They pulled up to the beautiful house and parked among the various cars in the driveway and front lawn. They had only gotten lost three times before Mike finally took Lila's advice on how to get there. Lila climbed out of the car and slammed the door.

"If you would have told me, 'shut up I know where I'm going' one more time I would have slapped you." She said rubbing her neck.

"Hey, I thought I knew where I was going." He said with a defensive tone. Nicole just stepped back with a slight laugh, she knew not to get between these two.

"Well next time how about taking the directions from the girl who was here less than 3 weeks ago rather than acting all macho!" Lila took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at Mike.

"Next time I will ask you, alright?" he said giving up.

"See, it's not so hard for you two to get along." Nicole said throwing an arm around both of the people beside her. "Let's just get our butts in there and have a good time." Mike and Lila both laughed slightly.

"Do you think we should take our bags in?" He asked changing the subject.

"Nah, we can just come back and get them a little bit later." Lila said, mostly because she was anxious to get to Shannon. No one was out front, so they suspected Matt had most everyone in his new pool out back. They knocked on the door and it was opened almost immediately by the rainbow haired warrior.

"Jeff!" Lila screamed jumping into his arms. He returned the hug and carried her backward allowed Mike and Nicole into the house.

"How are you doing darlin?" Jeff asked finally putting her down.

"Oh, I'm doing pretty damn good, especially now." Lila replied smiling. "Where's Shannon?" Jeff quickly scanned the room.

"You know I'm not actually sure. He might be outback with Matt." Jeff was never a good liar, but Lila figured she'd check it out anyway.

"Ok, I'll be right back guys." She said before making her trek through the house.

"Ok man..." Mike said rasing an eyebrow. "You've never been a good liar. What's going on." Jeff's kept darting around the room before finally coming to rest on Mike. He gave a small sigh.

"Crystal is here."

"Who's Crystal?" Nicole asked looking more towards Mike. She could tell from the tone of Jeff's voice that it wasn't a good subject.

"Crystal is Shannon's ex wife." Mike said, almost the same tone. "What is she doing here?"

"She said she wanted to talk to Shannon." Jeff said leading the two of them into the kitchen. He handed both of them a beer and grabbed one for himself. "They went to 'talk' and I haven't seen either of them yet."

"That doesn't sound good." Nicole said staring intently at Jeff.

"Trust me it's not." He replied taking a sip of his own beer.

"You don't think Shannon would... do anything with her would he?" Mike asked. Yeah, he and Lila might fight sometimes, but that doesn't mean he wanted anyone hurting her.

"I know he's head over heels for Lila. I mean, he's said that a couple of times I mean trust me... I know when Shannon loves someone..." Jeff said, seemingly having trouble forming words.

"Why do I feel a but coming on?" Nicole said getting more and more panicked.

"Because he's been drinking... for a few hours. He's pretty much gone."

"Oh great." Mike said setting his beer on the counter and heading back into the living room.

- - - - - - -

"Hey lug-heads!" Lila said brightly as she found Matt and Shane.

"Hello there beautiful!" Matt said picking her up and spinning her around. "Ready for a swim?"

"No! Matt no!" She screamed as her carried her toward his pool. Shane was doubled over laughing behind them. "Matt you better put me down!" He finally released her near the edge of the pool, she just playfully swatted his arm.

"We've been wondering where you guys were." Shane said giving her a hug.

"Yeah, Mike decided to get lost three times before taking my directions." Lila said shaking her head. She smiled at Matt who returned it times ten. Aside from Shannon she had become the closest with Matt out of the North Carolina gang. He and John were always there when she needed them, looking out for her. She couldn't have been more grateful. Their was even an incident almost a month before when Shannon caught Matt and Lila sleeping in the same bed, but luckily Shannon was trusting. He knew that nothing happened. It was just the way Matt and Lila's relationship was, and she couldn't have been happier. "So where's Shannon? Jeff said he might be out here."

"Actually, I have no idea where Shannon is." Matt said seriously and Shane agreed. Neither of them had seen Crystal arrive at the party. "However he was hitting the juice pretty hard, he might be laying down somewhere."

"He was drinking already?" Lila asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah he was pretty much hammered." Shane said with a slight giggle to his voice.

"Listen, whenever he gets hammered he stays in the biggest guest room. You go upstairs, turn left down the hallway and it's the first door on your right."

"Thanks Matt." Lila said hugging him. She made her way back into the house and back upstairs. She didn't see Mike come flying out to the backyard to find her. Jeff and Nicole waited in the living room.

"I have no idea where she is." Mike said coming back in. Lila had only ever been upstairs at Matt's house one time so she was basically in new territory. Most of the walls were white with various pictures of his and Jeff's accomplishments hanging on the wall. She even passed a few pictures of Shan, Shane, and of course tons of family portraits. She turned left down the hallway and she saw that the first door was slightly ajar. She thought about fixing her hair, but decided against it. She just wanted to see him. She placed her hand on the doorknob and she heard some movement from inside the room. A bad feeling began rising in the pit of her stomach. She pushed open the door slightly and her breath caught in her chest. Shannon was laying on the guest bed, but someone was on top of him. She was a smaller girl with long blonde hair, basically she looked like the definition of a trophy wife. Her shirt was off displaying her hot pink bra and she was straddling Shannon, leaning down capturing his lips with hers. She stood in shock for a few moments, then as quietly and quickly as she could she made her way back down the stairs. Nicole spotted her immediately and she knew something was wrong. She grabbed Lila's arm making her stop and turn towards her.

"What happened?" She said concerned. Quickly both Mike and Jeff we standing beside Nicole.

"Mike I need your keys." Lila said as calmly as possible. In fact she was so calm it was almost frightening.

"I don't think that's a good..."

"Mike please just give me your damn keys." Her eyes were dark and Nicole let go of her arm.

"Lila what happened?" Jeff asked his hand taking the place of Nicole's. Mike had his keys out and he handed them to her. Lila tried to pull away but Jeff held onto his grip.

"Let's just say this Jeff... Upstairs in the guest bedroom Shannon always stays in..." Jeff nodded urging her to continue. "It's almost like that marriage never ended." Her voice began to shake a little as Jeff pulled her into a hug.

"He doesn't know what he's doing, he's drunk." He said softly to her. Lila pulled away from him and turned to the door without another word. She slammed it behind her and tension hung in the air.

"I should go after her." Nicole said handing her beer to Mike, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her close placing a kiss on her head.

"She needs to be alone right now babe." He said softly. Jeff walked outside and they were alone for a few moments before Matt Hardy came flying by them and up the stairs. "This is not going to be good." He made it to the top of the steps in a matter of seconds with Jeff, Nicole, and Mike on his heels. He threw open the guest room door and this time Shannon was on top of Crystal. He was shirtless and she was wearing nothing but her underwear. Matt saw red. He grabbed Shannon by the shoulders and pulled him off of Crystal with all his might making Shannon slam into the back wall.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He roared. Shannon sat still for a moment looking between Matt and Crystal.

"What's going on?" He asked his voice laced with confusion, he was slurring horribly. He turned to the door and saw Nicole staring at him. Mike's hands were firmly grabbing her arms so she wouldn't kill both Shannon and Crystal.

"Lila?" He said aloud more to himself. He stood up as quickly as possible leaning on the wall for support. "Where's Lila?"

"She's gone." Matt said through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Shannon asked loudly, the shock of what he was doing finally hit him and he seemed to sober up quickly.

"She's gone you stupid son of a bitch! She left! And I swear to God..." Nicole said turning toward Crystal. "If you do not get the fuck out of here I am going to beat the living hell out of you!" Mike looked pleadingly at Jeff. Nicole was damn strong and if she wanted to kick someone's ass nothing was stopping her.

"I think I'm here with Shannon and you really can't dictate what I do." Crystal said crossing her arms over her chest. Nicole lunged at her, but both Mike and Jeff stopped her.

"I want you out of my house!" Matt screamed looking at Crystal.

"Fine, come on Shannon." She said pulling on her skirt and tank-top. She made a move towards the door, but Shannon stayed still. "Come on Shan, obviously you want me. That point was evident before we were interrupted."

"Get out Crystal." He said his voice stern but quiet.

"Oh come on Shan, we have history. You have been with this other tramp for not even three months..."

"GET OUT!" He finally screamed. Crystal turned on her heels and quickly left the room dodging another attempt by Nicole to attack her. The five people left in the room stood in silence. Until Matt pushed Shannon back up against the wall. Ever since Amy had cheated on him with Adam Copeland, who was suppose to be one of his best friends, he thought the entire idea of cheating was extremely repulsive.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you?" Matt's voice echoed through the room.

"I... I don't know what I was thinking." Shannon replied, his eyes red. "I don't even remember Crystal getting here."

"Well guess what she was here! And Lila saw the two of you and I have no idea where she is, and you deserve to get your ass kicked!" Nicole said still being held back by Mike. Shannon put his head in his hands.

"I have to find her." He said stumbling toward Jeff who stopped him.

"Yeah no." He said pushing Shannon back towards Matt. "You aren't going anywhere."

"I have to find her, I have to explain... I have to say I'm sorry."

"I'll find her." Matt said his voice still scathing. He refused to look directly at Shannon. "You just stay here and sober up. You better have a good excuse IF I can get her to come back." Matt left the room without another word and Shannon slid to the floor silently sobbing.

- - - - - -

Lila held off the tears until she pulled into a park at the opposite end of town. She slammed the front door shut and walked a few hundred yards into the woods where a small spring was. Shannon had brought her here before, and not many people knew about it so hopefully she would be alone. She sat down in the grass and stared at the water, suddenly everything came flooding to the surface and she began sobbing. She sat shaking, rocking back and forth, trying to make her body calm down, but it didn't want to listen to her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped through her numbers. She didn't want to call Matt, assuming Jeff hadn't talked to him, she didn't want to ruin his party, and she knew John had his first date tonight with some girl named Allie so she didn't want to bother him. She just put her phone on silent and back into her pocket. The sun was completely down and the air was slightly chilly, but Lila didn't care. She laid down on the grass and cried for what seemed like ages. When she finally sat back up and walked over towards the water she dipped her hand in, just for something to do. She didn't really have anywhere to go. She supposed she could go to Gill's, he loved her like a daughter, even told her so. However she worried it was too late. She pulled out her phone seeing three missed calls from Nicole, two from Jeff, three from Matt, and five from Shannon. She closed her phone again and sighed. Well, Matt found out, and she felt bad for ruining his party. Suddenly she heard some twigs snap from behind her and turning quickly she lowered herself into the grass then sat incredibly still.

"Lila?" A voice with a thick southern accent said softly. She knew he could see her.

"Hey Matt..."


	8. A Choice

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Ok, BIG BIG BIG thank you to mltjrbabe, Peleinferno(lil sis!), lknights91, extremeshan81, The Niki Reid, unlimited emerald0307, Missmurder424, rory21, and ShannonMooreFan! You guys are the best in the world and you really keep me going.**

_**A/N: I'm so so sorry this took a while to put up! I promise I'll do better with chapter 9! I hope you guys like this!!**_

"Where is she?" Shannon asked pacing Matt Hardy's living room.

"Calm down man." Mike Mizzan responded slightly annoyed. In his mind, Shannon had no right to even ask about Lila. Shannon took another sip of his coffee which he had been drinking ever since Matt left. After several trips to the bathroom and almost an entire loaf of bread he was sure as hell sober, and the truth of what had transpired several hours earlier was finally sinking in.

"I can't believe I did that." Shannon said to no one in particular. "I'm such a dumbass."

"You're damn right you're a dumbass!" Nicole said, her anger over-flowing. "She trusted you, she cared about you, and you decide to have some fun with your EX wife?"

"Baby calm down." Mike put a loving hand on her shoulder before pulling her down towards him. Nicole let out a sigh and laid her head on mike's chest. The party was over, surprisingly soon, and everyone had gone home. Only Jeff, Shannon, Nicole, and Mike remained and the atmosphere was needless to say tense.

"I am starting to wonder where they are." Mike said staring at the clock on the wall. It was almost two in the morning.

"Don't worry." Jeff said taking a seat beside Shannon. "I know my brother, he'll find her, and they'll talk as long as she needs to. Matt cares a lot about Lila and he'll take care of her. I mean, she might not even want to come back here and if that's the case he probably will take her to Shane's or maybe even dad's."

"I don't deserve to have her come back here." Shannon said hanging his head. Jeff sighed.

"You know man, I love you like a brother, but right now I agree with you. After what you did, you don't deserve shit." A silent tear fell down Shannon's cheek as he rested his hand in his hands.

- - - - - - -

"How did you find me?" Lila asked quietly.

"I just took a guess." Matt Hardy walked to where she was sitting. "May I take a seat?" Lila just nodded and he planted himself beside her.

"Ok, why did you find me?"

"I wanted to make sure you're alright." Matt put his arm around Lila's shoulders as he felt her body begin to shake. She wrapped both her arms around Matt and began to cry as she had earlier in the night. Matt just sat holding her. He didn't say anything, just let her cry which is exactly what she needed. After a few minutes she collected herself trying to regain her composure.

"I just don't understand why he would do something like that." She said pulling away from Matt and wiping her eyes.

"Lila, he was drinking a lot. He claims he doesn't even remember Crystal getting to the..."

"I don't care if he was drinking. That's not an excuse Matt." She took another deep breath. "I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"Aw, darlin' don't be sorry for something as trivial as that right now. You're understandably upset. Trust me, I wouldn't blame you if you drove to Crystal's house and beat her pathetic ass... I have her address by the way." Lila smiled a little. "Ah! I saw that smile." He put an arm around her again and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I thought Shannon really liked me. As pathetically high school as that sounds." She said with a sigh.

"Shannon does like you Lila. Shannon loves you." Lila almost started laughing.

"Yeah, that's why he goes and fucks his ex wife." She said with a cold tone.

"He didn't fuck her..." Lila looked at Matt in surprise. "As soon as I found out what was happening I ran upstairs and pulled him off of her. Slammed him into the wall pretty good. Anyway, he looked at me then saw Nicole, who tried to kill him, and Mike... Something just clicked, he asked where you were, he looked pretty out of it. I was still seeing red and told Crystal to get out of my house and he called for Shannon to follow her but he refused. Told her to leave, then wanted to come find you."

"Maybe it's too little too late Matt." Lila said with a sigh staring at the bright green grass beside her. It was illuminated by the moon and she ran her hands over it feeling the soft texture.

"Lila, I can't tell you what to do. I freaked when I found out what Amy was doing to me. I kicked her out of my house and tried repeatedly, not only on camera, to beat the fuck out of Adam Copeland. It didn't get me anywhere. I mean Amy and I might be friends now, but I was an ass. Granted it was justified or so it seemed, but I wish I would have handled it better."

"Ok, say you did handle it better Matt. Say you were calm about it. Would you have stayed with her?" Lila asked staring at him intently.

"I honestly can't answer that. When Amy cheated on me, she wanted to be with Adam. She was sorry for hurting me, but she wasn't sorry for what she did, and she was going to be with Adam no matter how I reacted to it. Shannon is different..."

"Yeah, Shannon hasn't fucked another girl...yet"

"No, and he wont." Matt said sternly. Lila raised her eyebrow.

"No one can ever be sure of something like that Matt."

"Lila, the difference between Shannon and Amy is that Shannon doesn't want Crystal back. He wants you, he probably thought she was you in that bedroom. Shannon would do anything to get you back because he is more sorry about this than you can imagine, and he is head over heels for you." Lila was silent, again looking towards the ground. "If you honestly think that boy is not in love with you, you're crazy."

"I don't know what to think Matt." Lila said seriously. "I mean I have no problem with you guys drinking and partying, but am I going to have to worry every single time you guys have a party that he's going to get drunk and think a different girl is me?"

"Maybe that's something you should ask him." Matt suggested shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe it's better anyway, I mean I will be headed off to New York in a month to find a different internship and..."

"Why do you have to find another one?" Matt asked.

"I technically don't have to find another one, but it would just give me more pictures for a portfolio. I will stay with that company until graduation when I will apply all over the world and hopefully find a high paying comfortable job."

"Why don't you just stay with the WWE, do all your internship here, then apply here? I know the guys love your work, I think you'd be a shoo-in."

"Thanks Matt." Lila said with a small smile. "And maybe I would be, but with everything with Shannon, I don't know if it would be a good idea to work here."

"Alright, you're going around in circles. You and Shannon should be over because you potentially might have to leave... But, you could stay anyway if it weren't for the turbulent relationship that Shannon and you have as of tonight. Am I getting that right?"

"Yes, and you've successfully given me a headache." Lila said rubbing her temples. "I just wish I had gotten here sooner to prevent it, or maybe not at all so I wouldn't have that image burned in my brain."

"You and me both." Matt mumbled leaning backwards until he was lying in the grass. He grabbed Lila and pulled her down with him. The two laid together in a comfortable silence for a few moments, well until Matt spoke again. "Do you love Shannon?"

"What?" Lila asked sitting up and turning towards him.

"Do you love Shannon?" Lila looked at the stars and Matt sat up beside her.

"I thought I did."

"Could you see yourself with anyone else? Kissing anyone else, falling asleep beside anyone else?" Matt asked softly. Lila didn't know how to answer. She was torn. Mostly because of the events that had taken place in that past few hours. She turned to find Matt extremely close to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked very softly. She felt her heart begin to race as his lips softly touched hers. The kiss was intimate and loving, everything a kiss should be and yet... Lila pulled away from Matt and sighed.

"I love Shannon." She said calmly, finally. Something she hadn't even told Shannon. A smile came across Matt's face.

"I had a feeling you did. Sorry I had to so, physically, get the point across. However, I'm not going to lie. I liked it." he got that cat-who-swallowed-the-canary smile and Lila smacked him over the head. As soon as Matt had kissed her, she knew she wanted to be with Shannon. Granted Matt was a great kisser, something she knew she would always tease him about, but he wasn't Shannon.

"Matt, let's go back to your place. I should talk to Shannon." She said standing.

"Are you alright to drive, I mean we can leave Mike's car here until morning."

"No, I'm fine. I'll just follow you back to your place." The two headed back through the forest and to their cars. Lila took a deep breath as she started the engine and pulled out behind Matt. She wasn't sure what she'd say to Shannon, but waiting until morning was useless. She knew neither of them would get any sleep either way.

- - - - - - - - -

Shannon was still awake every so often pacing Matt's living room. Jeff was barely awake sitting in a chair watching his best friend. He could see how much Shannon loved Lila, and he knew the feeling was mutual. Nicole and Mike were both asleep cuddled together on the couch. Mike's arms were wrapped tightly around Nicole, apparently worried she may try to attack Shannon in her sleep, and her head was against his chest. She loved listening to his heart beat. New lights illuminated the living room, a car pulled in. Shannon sat back in his seat his heart beating a thousand miles per minute. He heard a single car door shut and his hope seemed to seep out of him, that was until he heard a second car door slam. He looked toward Jeff who was not only wide awake, but waking Nicole and Mike up leading them into a guest room. Nicole gave a few protests, but Mike and Jeff persuaded her that Lila needed to talk to Shannon. As Jeff came back into the living room the front door opened. Matt walked in and looked around the room. He still wanted to beat the shit out of Shannon. Lila walked in behind them and took a deep breath seeing Shannon stand up.

"Are you alright?" Jeff whispered into her ear. She turned quickly towards him. She hadn't even realized he was there.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She said giving him a soft hug. "Can I talk to Shannon alone?" Both the brothers nodded and they made their way upstairs. The tension in the air was thick.

"Lila I'm so..." Shannon was cut off when Lila put both of her hands up wordless asking him to stop. She took a deep breath and walked closer to him.

"Shannon, what you did was unforgivable, and the mental image I have in my head right now is enough to make me sick. I understand that you were drinking, but that's not an excuse. If you want to be with me, then be with me. No one else."

"I do want to be with you."

"Then why did you almost fuck Crystal?" Lila's voice rose slightly.

"I don't what I was thinking. I honestly don't. I don't remember her getting here. I thought I was in bed you."

"And at Matt's next party are you going to get drunk and find some other girl you think is me?" Shannon just lowered his head.

"Lila, I have no excuse for what I did, and I know that you have lost your trust in me... But Lila, please believe me when I say that I want to be with you, only with you."

"I don't know Shannon. I don't know if I am willing to risk getting my heart broken." She turned to walk towards the stairs but Shannon grabbed her arm.

"Lila please, I will never do this to you again. You're my world."

"If I'm your world you shouldn't have done it the first time." Lila took another deep breath, fighting off tears. "Why should I stay Shan?"

"Because I love you Lila."


	9. Trust Your Instincts

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Big THANK YOU to The Niki Reid, mltjrbabe, Missmurder424, Peleinferno (lil sis!), lknights91, extremeshan81, and rory21 for your awesome reviews! Sorry this took so long but I really hope you guys like it!! You all rock!**

Lila just stood staring at him. Had she heard him correctly? Her breath was coming in ragged from shaking so much. He walked over to her slowly and grabbed her hand.

"Lila you have no idea how much I love you. I am so sorry for what I did. If I could change it I would, but I know I can't. All I can do is apologize over and over again. All I can do is pray that you'll give me a second chance to prove to you that it's you, and only you that I want." A single tear rolled down her cheek which he quickly wiped away.

"Are you staying here tonight?" Her question took him by surprise. It was, needless to say, something he wasn't expecting to hear.

"Yes... In the smaller guest room in the basement. What does this..."

"I just need some time to think Shan." Her voice was soft and caring, nothing like it had been moments earlier. "It's a lot to handle in a few short hours." He nodded.

"I understand." He kissed the top of her hand, and she closed her eyes feeling his smooth lips against her skin.

"Try to get some type of sleep. I just need to think." She said softly. He had no intention of sleeping, but he wasn't about to argue. As their eyes remained connected he silently pleaded with her for forgiveness. Hey heart wanted to melt. She kissed his cheek softly before quickly heading up the stairs. She stopped at the top step and sat for a moment, a million different thoughts passing through her. Was the saying, "once a cheater always a cheater" true? Would she have to worry every time he went drinking? She wanted to just be with him regardless of what had happened, but her head was telling her to stay sensible. She didn't need another broken heart. After sitting for a few minutes she stood up. She passed the largest guest room and knocked on, what used to be Matt's room.

"Hey darlin'" Jeff said softly after opening the door. She walked in to find, as she expected and hoped, Matt sitting on a papzan chair in the corner of the room. Jeff looked groggy, about ready to fall asleep. However, Matt seemed to have no hope of sleeping. Jeff put an arm around Lila and led her to the queen sized bed. She sat on the edge and fell backward onto the mattress. Jeff laid next to her, wrapping his arms around her. Thank God Beth was out of town. She was a great girl, but way too jealous when it came to Lila.

"You ok Lila?" Matt asked.

"I will be."

"What did he say?" Jeff asked speaking softly in her ear. Several months earlier Lila would have given anything to by laying in a bed with Jeff Hardy's arms around her. Now, she was missing someone else.

"He said he loved me." She said still shocked.

"You knew that babe." Matt said, a smile tracing his lips.

"Yeah, I knew that... I just didn't think he'd say it."

"What are you going to do?" Matt asked sitting up slightly.

"I wish I knew. I would have loved to jump into his arms and tell him I loved him and make everything fine again."

"Then you should have." Jeff said, his eyes closed. Jeff always had that kind of attitude. Go with your first instinct. If something feels right at the time do it. He looked at the world with an ever optimistic attitude. It was something she adored about him.

"Jeff it's not that simple." Matt said shaking his head.

"Yes it is. Lila loves Shannon, Shannon loves Lila." He said his eyes slightly open gazing at his brother.

"He cheated on her."

"Yes, but I don't think it will ever happen again."

"Jeff you can't guarantee that." Lila said with a sigh.

"Nothing is ever a guarantee sweetheart. However, you guys didn't see him after you left. He was panicked. Kept pacing the room bargaining with God that he would do anything if he could make this right. I haven't seen him like that before." Jeff's eyes were now fully open, filled with a little worry as he stared towards Lila. "He loves you, and the way he looks at you... I don't think he will ever not love you. The two of you have something some people only ever dream about."

"True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen." Lila said softly to no one in particular.

"What?" Matt asked.

"It's a quote I heard once after my first boyfriend left me." She turned toward Jeff and a small smile appeared on both of their faces. "Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and quickly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked standing. He really didn't want to have to go back to the park.

"I'm going to trust my instincts." She replied with a smile. She hugged the elder Hardy brother and walked out the door and back downstairs. The living room was dark, Shannon had turned everything off. She went through the kitchen to the stairs to the basement. The main basement room contained a pool table and several chairs. A bar area was in the corner, but she could barely see it in the dim light. The moon was basically the only source of light, and only from one window in the far northern corner of the room. As she approached the guest room she saw a light spilling from the crack at the bottom of the door. She knew he wasn't asleep. She didn't really expect him to be. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door knob. Jeff was right, she had to follow her instincts. Either she could have ass this relationship, keep her heart guarded. Or, she could throw her self into it. Sure their was a risk of getting hurt, but at least she would be living. She opened the door without knocking. Shannon was leaning back in bed and he sat up quickly. His eyes were slightly red, he'd been crying. Lila closed the door and walked over to the bed and straddled him. She captured his lips with hers and he quickly wrapped his arms around her. The kiss deepened and she felt his tongue brush against hers. A wave of electricity went through her. Their was no questioning it, this is where she needed to be. She pulled away slowly, their breathing heavy.

"I love you Shannon." She saw that amazing smile of his once more and she felt her heart jump.

"I love you too Lila." He touched her face softly and pulled her toward him. Their lips touched again this time it was more gentle. She felt his hand against her bare skin at her side. The kiss intensified and a small moan escaped her lips. She ran her hands through his hair as his kisses moved to her neck and then collar bone. After a moment he kissed tenderly and slowly back up to her lips. She pulled gently at the bottom of his shirt which he took off exposing his beautiful tattoo's. Her hands roamed the muscles of his back and chest as he continued to embrace her, and ss he began to unbutton her shirt the two laid down soflty onto the mattress.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Lila awoke the next morning to the feeling of strong arms around her. The sun was shining through the two small windows in the room, and she took a deep breath turning slowly to face Shannon. His eyes were already open and he was smiling at her.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked with a smirk.

"Just a few minutes. You're beautiful when you sleep you know." She pecked him on the lips before cuddling against him. "What made you change your mind last night?"

"Something Jeff said." She replied. Shannon paused waiting for her to continue. "He said we have something that some people only ever dream about. He also basically said I should have followed my first instinct, which was just to kiss you and tell you I loved you. He was right."

"Jeff is a pretty smart guy sometimes." Shannon said with a slight laugh. "I'm glad you're giving me a second chance." She sat up, leaning on her elbow.

"I am too." He leaned up and kissed her. "Would this be a bad time to tell you I kissed Matt?"

"What?" He asked shocked.

"We were sitting in the park and he leaned in and kissed me."

"I'll kill him."

"He wanted me to realize that you're the only guy I want to kiss, and I did."

"Ok, maybe I'll only hurt him." Shannon said with a joking tone. "Don't worry, it's fine. I understand." Lila kissed him again before getting out of bed and dressing. Shannon couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked as she finished buttoning her top.

"Not as much as last night, but this is good too." He laughed and smirked at her. She gave a him a faux shocked look before throwing him his boxers. After the two were dressed they made their way upstairs where Matt was brewing coffee.

"Morning love birds." Jeff said with a wide grin as he sat at the kitchen table. Nicole jumped up and hugged Lila.

"Don't you ever do that again! I was so worried about you! Where'd you go?" She said seemingly all at once.

"Just to this one park Shannon took me to before. I'm sorry I worried you." Lila said hugging her again.

"Wait..." Nicole said taking a step backward. "Did you two both just come up from downstairs?" Lila's face blushed and Shannon seemed much to interested in the cup of coffee Matt was handing him. "Oh.. OH!"

"We're all adults here. The two had a little play time." Jeff trying not to laugh.

"You're going to get it Hardy!" Shannon said with a smile. "And you!" He rounded on Matt. "You're really really going to get it!" Matt looked towards Lila who just shook her head and Matt took off running towards the backyard.

"One of them is going to end up in the pool I just know it." Mike said with a laugh his eyes following the two of them. "Why is Matt going to get it by the way?"

"Because he kissed Lila." Jeff said as if he was reading the sports scores.

"What?" Nicole asked looking wide eyed at Lila.

"He was trying to show me that I don't want to kiss anyone but Shannon. It worked." Lila said shrugging her shoulders.

"Why does all the crazy fun crap happen after I go to bed?" Nicole asked. Mike raised his eyebrows. "Although being in bed isn't that bad." He pulled her into a passionate kiss. It was only a few seconds after the kiss intensified that they heard it.

-splash-

"SHANNON I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Matt's voice screamed and everyone began laughing. Shannon walked calmly back inside, shutting the patio door after him, and went back to his coffee wrapping his arms around Lila.

"I told you someone was going to end up in the pool." Mike said pulling Nicole onto his lap. Matt appeared at the patio door, clothes soaked through with a half pissed, half amused look on his face. He had grabbed a spare towel from the pool house and was trying to get any excess water off of him before coming back into the house. He ended up shedding his shirt before opening the door.

"Ok, maybe I will forgive that one, but I swear if you ever do that again you'll be sorry." Shannon just raised his mug to him and took another sip.

"What do you guys want to do?" Lila asked.

"Take a shower." Matt said heading towards the stairs. "I'll be back everyone." Matt disappeared up the stairs.

"Anyone up for rock band?" Jeff asked a smile crossing his handsome features.

"Hell yeah!" Shannon said following Jeff into the living room. He was back to his old self. Lila sighed and she, Nicole, and Matt followed the two in.

"Ok, I was guitar first." Jeff said turning on the game and grabbing the guitar.

"I get drums." Shannon declared sitting down. Jeff looked at the other three occupants of the room.

"Lila you take vocals." He said finally.

"No, I'm fine... thanks I'll just watch."

"Awe come on!" He taunted.

"Yeah please." Shannon said putting on his best pouty face.

"Do I have to?" She looked pleadingly at Nicole who just smiled.

"Yep, you do." She said giving Lila a slight push toward the boys. Lila picked up the controller and picked her character.

"What song should we do?" Shannon asked.

"Ohh I have a good one." Jeff said motioning for the controlled which Lila handed him. He selected "Maps" by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. The music started and the two men beside her began playing. Lila saw the lyrics coming and took a deep breath.

_Pack up;_

_I'm straight;_

_Enough;_

_Oh say, say, say;_

_Oh say, say, say;_

_Oh say, say, say;_

_Oh say, say, say;_

_Oh say, say, say _

"Yeah, go Lila!" Nicole said laughing.

_Wait, they don't love you like I love you;_

_Wait, they don't love you like I love you;_

_Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aps;_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you._

_Made off;_

_Don't stray;_

_Well, my kind's,your kind;_

_I'll stay the same!_

_Pack up;_

_Don't stray;_

_Oh say, say, say;_

_Oh say, say, say!_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you;_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you;_

_Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aps;_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you!_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you!_

_Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aps!_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you …_

She turned toward Shannon with a sweet smile and she began to sing again.

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you;_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you;_

_Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aps;_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you!_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you!_

_Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aps!_

_Wait! They don't love you like I love you …_

The song finished with Jeff and Lila getting 100. Shannon, being distracted by Lila screwed up a little at the end and pulled off a 95. They all clapped as Lila blushed red.

"I didn't know you could sing!" Jeff said smiling at her.

"She's good huh?" Shannon asked with a smile. Lila just handed the mic to Jeff before heading back towards the couch. Shannon joined her and he sat next to her on the couch. This time Mike was on drums, Nicole on guitar, and Jeff on vocals. He picked "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi and they began to play. Shannon and Lila looked toward each other then he rested his forehead against hers. He smiled charmingly at her.

"I love you."

"I love you too Shannon."


	10. Illness and Injury

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**Huge, GIGANTIC thank you's to extremeshan81, The Niki Reid, mltjrbabe, lknights91, Peleinferno (lil sis!), Rated-R-For-Randomness, and rory21 for your awesome reveiws!! You all keep me going and I'm really glad you guys like the story! Also, just a big thanks to anyone reading this!!**

"So, anything special you want to do today?" Shannon asked wrapping his arms around Lila. They were still in bed, and it was almost 11. It was going to be their last day before they had to go back on the road, and seeing as how Lila would have to travel with RAW, the couple spent as much time as they could together. The bedroom door slightly opened and Shannon's boxer Oz jumped into the bed. "Hey boy." Shannon said softly rubbing the puppy's head. Lila's eyes scanned Shannon's bedroom slightly. Various articles of clothing were strewn across the room, courtesy of the previous night, and her stuff was piled into the corner next to Shannon's suitcase. Her eyes rested on her camera bag and she smiled.

"I have an idea." She left the comforts of the bed and walked to her camera bag.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shannon asked, a curious smile on his face. She pulled her camera out of the bag and turned towards him. She just smiled sweetly before scanning the room again. She walked to the one corner of the bedroom where the blinds of the window were slightly open and various rays of sunshine were pouring in.

"Would you come over here?"

"Dressed like this?" He asked with a smile. The bed sheets were down around his waist and her cheeks flushed when she remembered that was all that was covering him.

"Maybe later." She said regaining her composure with a wink. She walked to his dresser and pulled out a pair of black boxers and threw them on the bed. "Since when do you wear boxers?" She asked as he began putting them on. Shannon usually wore boxer-briefs.

"Eh, I have a few pairs." He stood up and walked over to Lila. His hair was surprisingly not messy, or at least not like hers. He could have gone all day like that and no one would be the wiser. "Where do you want me?" She pushed him against the back wall and stood back for a moment. The light was too far away... She moved him forward just about a foot then smiled. She lifted her camera up and Shannon immediately threw up the rock sign and made a face as if he was screaming. Lila put the camera back down.

"Don't you get tired of doing that?" She asked amused.

"Not at all... why not working?" She shook her head and he went back to standing the way he was when she first moved him.

"Do you remember that look you gave me when I first met you? When you were helping me up off the floor?" She asked and Shannon nodded. "Try to take yourself back to that, try to remember how you felt." Shannon's body relaxed and Lila lifted her camera back up. The rays of sun were falling across his "2 Be Me" tattoo and one across his face, making his eyes shine. She quickly snapped the picture and smiled. As she put the camera down his expression didn't change. He walked slowly over to her, and while softly touching her face he brought his lips to hers. "What was that for?" She asked as he slowly pulled away.

"Because I love you." He said with a smile. In any other situation Lila would have teased him for being cheesy as hell, but she just felt comfortable. He wrapped his arms around her and the couple stood for a few seconds. "Ok, what's next?" Lila smirked and began pulling him into different rooms in the house, taking his picture at different angles with different lights and different settings. Sometimes she would just snap his picture when he wasn't expecting it.

"You're reaction will be genuine." She explained with a shrug. "I'm sorry..." she said after the 30th or so picture. "You have to go through this all the time, and here I am making you do it in the confines of your own home." He laughed.

"Trust me, it doesn't bother me." He smiled. "However..." He grabbed the camera out of her hand."

"What are you doing?" She asked panicked.

"You're turn."

"No, no, no... I hate getting my picture taken." She tried to get the camera back but he was too strong and way too quick.

"Please baby... Just a few pictures." He whined. Lila sighed but eventually gave in. He seemed to have his own ideas in mind.

"I am not getting naked." She said as he led her back into the bedroom. He pouted but soon smirked.

"At least not yet." He said closing the door behind them. She rolled her eyes but smiled, knowing he was probably right. Lila was wearing a blue button down shirt and a pair of Shannon's boxer-briefs, she maintained that it was the most comfortable outfit to sleep in. "Lay on the bed." he said simply. Lila raised an eyebrow but did as he said. He walked over to her and unbuttoned the bottom 3 buttons on her shirt so you could see the tops of Shannon's underwear and Lila's belly button. He smiled and stepped back to take her picture, which he did... from three different angles. He walked back over to the bed and laid down on top of her. He began fiercely kissing her and she heard her camera clicking away. She had no idea if he was actually getting either of them in the photograph, but she didn't care. All she cared about was the feeling of him pressed against her. He broke the kiss and stood up, replacing her camera in it's bag before returning to the bed and unbuttoning her shirt the rest of the way.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Lila sat in a stuffy office looking over pictures from last nights taping of RAW. She had gotten to the beginning of the pictures when another sort crossed her computer. She was laying on a bed, Shannon on top of her, and he was kissing her. Despite his eyes being closed, the pictures Shannon took were not half bad. She blushed as it came to the pictures he took of her, then smiled when she began looking through the pictures she had taken. She stopped on that first picture. The rays of run across him, and the look in his eyes was indescribable. She got lost in her thoughts for a moment and didn't hear the door open and close behind her.

"I don't remember Shannon Moore practically naked on RAW last night." Steven said staring at the picture. Lila snapped out of it and quickly closed the picture. "Awe, come on I want to see if you have anymore." Lila just glared at him.

"Need something?" She asked.

"Just wanted to tell you that you have a photo-shoot with Nicole in about 10 minutes." He said still smirking. Lila grabbed her memory card from the computer and her camera before leaving the office. Damn she was embarrassed. Nothing like getting caught looking at pictures of your half naked boyfriend by your boss. Especially since it was a guy he saw on a regular basis. Lila walked into the room for the shoot and saw Nicole in the make-up chair.

"Hey Lila!" She heard, and she turned to see Mike sitting on a chair next to the set. She walked over towards him with a smile.

"Hey Mike." She said taking the seat next to him.

"You ok?" He asked noticing her obvious discomfort.

"Yeah, don't worry I'm fine." Lila began getting her camera and flash ready for the shoot. Nicole walked over in a new bathing suit looking stunning.

"Hey chica!" She said with a smile.

"Hey there. You ready to work?" Lila said holding up her camera.

"Hell yes." Nicole readjusted her top and Lila just laughed. Nicole had explained to her working in the WWE meant changing in front of a lot of people, so she just learned to deal with it. "You ok girl?" She could tell something was wrong.

"Remember those pictures Shannon and I took?" Nicole nodded. "Well I was just glancing threw them on my computer after I looked at the RAW pictures, and Steven saw one of them."

"So? It's not like he was naked or anything... Was he??"

"No, no.. he had boxers on. It was just embarrassing because he's my boss." Lila said blushing yet again.

"Nah, don't worry about it. He'll probably tease you for a bit, but then forget all about it."

"Alright let's get going." Lila said nodding toward the set. It was a Diva in a bikini photo shoot. We all know that the WWE is pretty sexist, but this photo shoot Lila found particularly so. She just dealt with it and continued to snap pictures. After a few minutes Lila knew she had the shot, but she kept going from different angles for more variety. Suddenly she felt very sick to her stomach. She handed her camera to her assistant, Jackie, before running towards the bathroom. She made it just in time. After getting sick she sat on the floor of the bathroom just catching her breath. Her stomach began to settle down and it was gone as quickly as it had come. She walked back to the set to see everyone was clearing things and cleaning up.

"Are you ok girl?" Nicole asked running towards her.

"Yeah, I' just not feeling well. I must have caught the flu or something." Lila replied putting her hand on her forehead. "Why is everyone packing up?"

"Steven came in and asked where you were. We told him we thought you were sick and he picked up your camera. He went through maybe 5 photos before saying, 'oh we already got it.' Then he just took your camera and left." Nicole shrugged. Luckily Lila had switched memory cards so she knew he didn't have Shannon's pictures with him. She took a seat while Jackie brought her a water.

"Are you going to be alright?" Mike asked taking a seat next to her. Nicole sat on his lap and softly kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm just going to go back to the hotel and sleep." Lila said standing back up. She did just that. A few hours later she was still asleep when her phone began to ring.

"Hello..." She said, sleep lacing her voice.

_"Lila?" _It was Matt Hardy.

"No Matt, someone else answered my phone that sounds like me." She said sarcastically.

_"Lila you need to drive to Tampa." _Matt's voice was laced with concern and Lila sat straight up in bed.

"Why what's wrong?"

_"Shannon was injured at the show." _That's all Lila had to hear she was already up throwing things into her suitcase.

"Is he ok??"

_"I'm not sure, he's in with the doctor now. So I don't know much. Jeff is heading down so he should be at your door in a minute."_ As if the two brothers had telepathy she heard a knock at her door. She opened it to see Jeff, his bag already in hand. He walked in and helped her pack as quickly as possible.

"Matt. We'll be there as soon as we can." Lila said before shutting her phone. The entire drive from Miami to Tampa Lila held onto the door for dear life. Jeff was driving like a maniac, but she appreciated it at the same time. As they pulled into the hospital Jeff let Lila out at the door before he parked. She raced through the hallways until she found Matt.

"Is he alright?" She asked panicked.

"He's going to be fine." He said putting both of his hands on her shoulders. Her breath seemed to come a little bit easier. "They said he has a couple cracked ribs and his back is bruised. He took a really nasty bump." Matt explained.

"Can I see him?" Lila asked.

"Yeah, he's been waiting for you." He told her how to get to the room and pretty soon she was standing outside of it looking in at him. His mid-section was being wrapped and she could tell he just wanted to leave.

"Lila." He said almost breathlessly with a thankful smile. She walked into the room, and waited as the nurse finished with the bandage. As soon as the nurse left she was by his side and she carefully hugged him. As she pulled away she felt his lips immediately on hers.

"How are you feeling?" She asked finally pulling away.

"Tired and sore." He said quietly. "But better now that you're here."

"What happened?" Lila asked taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"Mis-communication." he said simply. "I thought he was suppose to let me moonsault him through a table... he thought I was suppose to go through the table alone. I took the full blow on my ribs and I was not prepared for it." Lila kissed his head softly. She felt a wave of nausea go through her, but luckily it wasn't as strong as the morning and she was able to work through it.

"Are you allowed to leave?" She asked once she was sure she wouldn't get sick.

"Yeah, then I need to talk to Vince in the morning so I can get some time to heal up. Where are you staying?" He asked. Lila shook her head. She and Jeff hadn't even thought about that. They just wanted to get to the hospital.

"I don't know actually." She said with a slight laugh.

"Stay with me. I could use some good company anyway. Plus I have a feeling this is going to be 10 times worse come morning." Lila just smiled and softly kissed him. She was more grateful than she could say that he was alright. They all made their way back to the hotel. Jeff ended up staying with Matt, who was sharing a room with MVP and Lila, as planned stayed with Shannon who was sharing a room with Jimmy Wang Yang. He was still awake, and waiting anxiously when they walked through the door.

"Hey man how are you?" He asked grabbing Lila's bag for her and putting it beside Shannon's.

"I'll be fine. I cracked a few ribs so I'm going to need to take some time off."

"That's fine man. I am just glad you're alright." He said with a smile. "I'm sure you're glad too huh?" He pulled Lila into a hug which she returned.

"You have no idea." She replied. After helping Shannon change and get into bed she crawled in next to him. She kissed his cheek softly and grabbed onto his hand. Cuddling was really not an option with his injury.

"Thanks for coming." Shannon said quietly, so as not to wake Jimmy who had fallen asleep 10 minutes previous.

"Of course, I would have come no matter what." She replied equally as quiet.

"I love you." He said softly. She kissed him.

"I love you to Shan. Now get some sleep... you're going to need it for tomorrow." She felt his grip on her hand loosen and heard his breathing change. He fell into an uneasy slumber because of his ribs and Lila stayed awake for a few minutes, before falling into a restless sleep.


	11. A Dream and a Nightmare

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**A BIG THANK YOU to Peleinferno (lil sis), mltjrbabe, extremeshan81, Missmurder424, rory21, lknights91, and sexylittleprincess for your reviews! I am soo sorry it took me a while to get this one out, but I hope you guys like it!! **

"Lila?" Shannon asked sitting up. He was back in his own bed in North Carolina. Vince had given him three weeks off, and he was more than grateful. Adding to that was the fact that Steven gave Lila the upcoming week off so she could stay with Shannon. He slowly got out of bed trying to ignore the pain in his ribs. It couldn't have been after 5 in the morning. The bathroom light was on and he heard Lila getting sick... again. "Babe are you alright?"

"Just give me a second Shan." She replied softly. He heard the toilet flush and the sink water running. Lila began brushing her teeth, her head spinning. She had no idea why she was getting sick, but she had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't the flu. Her period was two weeks late. She finished brushing her teeth and opened the door, almost walking right into Shannon.

"You ok?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You've been getting sick for a while now." He said following her back to his bed. It was obvious he wasn't going to let this go. She just didn't know what exactly to say. She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed her hands. "What's wrong?"

"I'm late Shannon." She said looking into his eyes. He remained silent for a few moments, the realization of what "late" actually meant was sinking in.

"How late?"

"2 weeks." Shannon just took a deep breath.

"You might be pregnant?" He asked. Lila couldn't tell what he was thinking. She could usually read Shannon like an open book, but for some reason that morning she couldn't.

"Yes." She said softly. She was unsure of what his reaction would be, so it came as a genuine surprise when he began to smile. She pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"I might be a dad?" He said pulling back. It looked like he just won the lottery. His eyes were glowing and a huge smiled was plastered on his face. Lila shook her head yes. He just kissed her softly.

"You're not mad or anything?"

"No!" His smile was still radiant. "Why would I be mad?"

"This is pretty big for us." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you upset?" He asked seriously, his smile faltering slightly. She remained silent for a moment just staring at him. She didn't even consider having kids this young. They had used protection. However, something about Shannon just felt... right. If she was ever going to have kids she wanted it to be with him. A smile graced her face and his returned full force.

"We'll go later in the morning and get a test just to be sure." She said and he kissed her, softly touching her face. He leaned back on the bed and tapped the spot beside her. She laid her head on his shoulder and quickly fell to sleep, but Shannon didn't have as much luck. He was too excited. He softly and slowly pulled himself out from under Lila and kissed her on the forehead before getting dressed. There had to be somewhere around here to find a pregnancy test, even so early in the morning. He grabbed his keys, left her a note, and made his way through his home, letting Oz go out back before he left. Lila stirred and reached over to touch Shannon, but grabbed covers instead. She sat up slowly and rubbed her lower back. She was experiencing a small pain, but nothing substantial. She saw a note sitting on the pillow beside her.

_"I couldn't wait. I am going to get the test. I know, I'm crazy. I love you,_

_Shannon"_

Lila smiled to herself and shook her head. She made her way downstairs, letting Oz back in before making coffee for Shannon when he got home, then making tea for herself. She was sitting at the kitchen table reading the latest WWE Magazine when Shannon came bounding through the door, a Wal-Mart bag in hand.

"Just couldn't wait could you?" She asked an amused smile on her face. He handed the bag to her. "And what might this be?"

"It's another puppy to befriend Oz, what do you think?" He said smirking. She stood up slowly. "Anything wrong?"

"Nah, my back is just sore. Probably after-effects from the last time you had me naked in your bed."

"Too rough?" He asked his eyebrows raised.

"Not at all." She said with a wink while grabbing the bag. She began walking up the stairs but turned around briefly. "There is fresh coffee in the kitchen."

"Thanks." He said with a smile. She smiled back at him before making her way upstairs. She sat in the bathroom looking at the EPT box. Almost too scared to open it. She took a deep breath and opened the package reading the instructions which she followed to the letter. She sat on the toilet tapping her foot. The box said to wait a mere two minutes, but it felt like years. She heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Come in." She said her voice cracking nervously.

"How's it coming?" He asked. He was definitely easy to read now. His eyes were full of concern, his body language saying he was 10 times more nervous than he let on.

"2 minutes." She said softly still tapping her foot.

"How can you tell?"

"If it's a plus, I am... If it's a minus, I'm not." She said simply. She was trying to mask her nervousness, but he saw right through her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been at least 2 minutes. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the test stick. She stared at it for a moment.

"Well?" He asked excitedly. She looked up at him, trying to calm her breathing.

"It says I'm pregnant Shan." She smiled softly at him and he jumped up, quickly regretting it due to the pain in his ribs. She put the test stick back on the sink and stood as well before he pulled her into a huge hug. He pulled back a large grin on his face and kissed her she felt his tongue graze her bottom lip before she deepened the kiss. The moment seemed perfect, and although both parties had a lot of different concerns as to how this was going to work, all that anxiety was forgotten for a few moments.

- - - - - - - - - -

"WHAT?!" Matt screamed as everyone sat around his living room, jaws agape, staring at Shannon and Lila.

"I'm pregnant." She repeated and Shannon just beamed. Nicole practically screamed and ran over to hug her while Shane embraced Shannon.

"When did you guys find out?" Nicole asked now sitting next to Lila.

"Last week, we just didn't know how to say anything." Lila replied with a smile.

"Congratulations you guys." Jeff said smiling.

"Are you getting all that fun stuff like morning sickness Lila?" Matt asked.

"Actually..." Lila said shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't been sick since the night before we found out."

"That's a plus." Beth said with a smile.

"Yeah, I am going to agree with you on that." Lila said with a smile. She hated, with a passion, getting sick.

"Have you told Steven?" Mike Mizzan asked.

"Not yet, but I figure as long as it doesn't inhibit my work I will be fine by the time that my internship ends."

"What are you going to do after that?" Nicole asked, turning the mood slightly. "I mean are you going back to New York or what?"

"We haven't had a chance to talk about that really." Lila said looking at Shannon. "But we have a few ideas." She said with a smile. They had discussed her taking the next year off and living with Shannon in North Carolina. She could just take online classes and even finish school that way.

"Ok, that means tonight is a girls night." Nicole said standing. "Beth, you and I are taking over Shannon's house. Shannon you'll stay with Matt..."

"Oh really?" Matt asked interrupting.

"Yep, that's so." Nicole continued with a smile.

"I agree with Nicole." Beth said standing. "Tonight is just for us girls. You guys can go off and do whatever you like." She kissed Jeff and walked toward the kitchen to grab her purse.

"What am I going to do without you?" Mike asked Nicole with a mock pout.

"Pine for me, then when I get home I will make it up to you."

"I think my morning sickness is coming back. Thanks guys." Lila said sarcastically with a smile. Nicole ignored her and sat on Mike before giving him a mind numbing kiss.

"Matt are you alright with this?" Lila asked seriously.

"Yes darlin'. You beautiful ladies just have fun." He said before standing. He walked over to Lila and kissed her forehead. "Congratulations." He said simply.

"Alright, let's get going." Nicole said pulling away from Mike as Beth walked back into the room.

"I love you." Lila said simply to Shannon. He placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you too. Be careful."

"I will." She said smiling. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Lila seemingly read his mind. "Don't worry I'll take care of Oz." He smiled at her. Nicole pried the two lovers away and the girls were off to Shannon's.

"So what exactly are we planning on doing?" Lila asked.

"You know, I just figured we would watch good movies, listen to good music, have some awesome girl talk, and eating food that my original trainers would kill me for."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Beth added with a smile from the backseat. Once back at Shannon's, Nicole ordered a pizza and grabbed "The Newsies" from Lila's DVD collection.

"Ok, this is the one. No doubt about it." She said putting it in. "Nothing wrong with a little Christian Bale singing." Lila just laughed. After the pizza arrived and the first film was over the girls went out and sat beside the pool.

"So, how is Shannon?" Nicole asked with a smirk.

"He's doing great, why?" She replied absentmindedly rubbing her back.

"You know what I'm talking about." She said with a smirk. Lila just blushed slightly and shook her head.

"I don't know if I want to hear anything sexual about Shannon Moore." Beth said shaking her head. "I might need a few beers first."

"How's Mike?" Lila asked.

"Perfect." Nicole said simply. "It's like he's in my head and he knows exactly what to do." Nicole closed her eyes and gave a slight shudder.

"Don't orgasm Nicole." Beth said laughing and Nicole splashed her. It soon turned into an all out war. Beth and Nicole turned on Lila.

"Oh come on guys this isn't fair!" She said trying to splash them both. The girls finally got out of the pool all laughing.

"Do you have any extra clothes Lila?" Nicole asked looking down at clothes which were clinging to her body.

"Yeah, don't worry I've got you guys covered." They walked into the house, letting Oz out in the process and into the bedroom. Once the girls were finally changed they went back into the living room and put a Family Guy disk into the DVD player. Lila plopped down onto the couch and pulled her feet up before she doubled over grabbing her lower abdomen.

"Lila, are you ok?!" Nicole asked terrified. Lila looked up towards her, her eyes streaked with tears.

"You need to take me to the hospital." She said trying not to scream. Beth and Nicole helped her out towards the car and put her gently in the backseat before racing toward the hospital. "Call Shannon." Lila managed to get out. Beth grabbed Lila's phone and searched through the contacts before finding his name. The phone rang several times before it went to voicemail.

"He's not answering." She said frustrated. "Don't worry I'll keep trying." She hit redial as Nicole pulled into the ER parking lot. She ran inside and grabbed several orderlies and they helped her put Lila into a wheel-chair.

"You're going to be fine." Nicole said holding onto Lila's hand. They brought her into the hospital and made Nicole wait as they put Lila into a room and doctors rushed in. Nicole went into the waiting room just in time to hear how pissed Beth was.

"FUCK!" She screamed looking at the phone. "Shannon isn't answering I'm trying Jeff."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"You're fucking crazy man!" Matt screamed as Shannon did another psychotic move in the ring out back at Matt's. Jeff looked on just smiling. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he smiled when he saw Lila's name on the caller ID.

"Hey girl." He said answering the phone. "Shouldn't you be elbow deep in chick flicks and pizza by now.

_"Jeff." _Nicole's voice was stressed.

"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly.

_"Lila is in the hospital. You guys have to get here now!"_

"What happened?!" He screamed. Several guys, including Shannon, had now turned their attention to him.

_"I don't know, she just started clutching her lower stomach and said she needed to go to the hospital."_

"We'll be right there." He hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Shane asked. Jeff's eyes fixed on Shannon.

"Something happened to Lila. Beth said she started grabbing at her lower stomach and they took her to the hospital." Shannon jumped out of the ring and ran towards his car with Matt, Jeff, and Shane quickly on his heels.


	12. I Have To

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**BIG THANK YOU to Peleinferno (lil sis), lknights91, mltjrbabe, ShannonMooreFan, extremeshan81, Medieval Mystic, Missmurder424, rory21, and The Niki Reid for you're amazing, wonderful reviews! You all keep me going and I can't thank you enough!!**

Shannon raced into the waiting room at the hospital.

"Where is she?" He asked running towards Nicole.

"She's been in with the doctors since Beth called." She said shaking visibly. Mike put both arms around her. "They haven't told us anything." Jeff embraced Beth and Shannon began pacing the room. A million different thoughts were running through his head.

"May I please speak to who ever is waiting for Lila Hotchner." A doctor said calmly. He was wearing a pure white coat and carrying a clipboard. His gray hair contested his blue eyes which were shining from behind his glasses. Shannon immediately stood up and walked over to him.

"How is she?" He asked worried.

"She's going to be fine, she's resting comfortably." He said slowly. Shannon took a deep breath. "However, I am afraid she's had a miscarriage." The word echoed in Shannon's head. His legs seemed to give out on him and he collapsed onto a chair.

"What happened?" Matt asked shocked.

"It's more common than people think. Sadly miscarriages occur in about 10-25 of all pregnancies. There was just something wrong with the egg."

"Can I see her?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was trying to keep his anger in check. This egg he was talking so calmly about was suppose to be his child.

"Yes, but only one of you at a time." Shannon stood up and followed the doctor. Lila's eyes were closed and her skin was pale. He could see an IV running from her arm. The doctor left them alone and Shannon walked over to her touching her hand slightly. Her eyes opened and her brown eyes that he had fallen in love with connected with his amazing blue green ones.

"Shannon." She said her body starting to shake as she began to sob. He laid next to her and wrapped his arms around her. He began crying. "I'm so sorry." She said barely able to speak.

"What?" He asked.

"It's my fault." She said still sobbing.

"Lila..." he said tilting her head up to hers. He wiped a tear off her cheek and she did the same to him. "This is in no way your fault."

"Yes it is." She continued to sob. "It was the egg, the egg was bad. My egg was bad." He pulled her close.

"Lila, this is not your fault." He repeated then he kissed her forehead softly. "Besides, we can always try again." She looked up at him and a slight smile crossed her face but it was soon shrouded in misery again.

"Why would you want to try to have a child with me?" She said sadly not looking at him. He quickly turned her face toward his.

"Lila I love you, I've loved you since I first met you and nothing is ever going to change that. This is not your fault, and I can't wait to have a baby with you." Another small smile crossed her face and he kissed her softly. "Everything is going to be fine I promise."

- - - - - - - -

"How do you think she's doing?" Shane asked sitting in one of the waiting room chairs.

"How do you think Shannon is doing?" Jeff asked softly.

"I'm going to be fine." He said softly walking towards them. His eyes were bright red and his face looked sullen. It was obvious he's been crying.

"How is she?" Nicole asked.

"She's going to be alright, physically at least." He took a seat next to Jeff. "The doctor gave her some meds and said she's going to be asleep for a while, so everyone should head home and come back tomorrow."

"Need a ride Shan?" Mike asked helping Nicole up.

"No, I'm staying here." he said firmly.

"Man you really need to sleep too." Jeff said rubbing his forehead.

"Jeff, I need to be here for her."

"Tell her I will be here first thing in the morning to see her." Nicole said leaning on Mike. Her eyes were red and she was still visibly shaken. Shannon merely nodded as everyone began making their way to the front door. He stood for a moment, watching their cars depart and the sunset before heading back to Lila's room.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"Lila you really don't need to do this." Steven said pleadingly. "We know what kind of stress you have been under for the past week and we are more than happy to let you take time off to recover."

"I know Steven, and thank you but I just don't think I can be here anymore." Lila said sullenly. Her eyes, once so bright, had faded her skin was paler and she had lost some weight. "I have completed the time I needed for the internship."

"Yes, but we are willing to offer you a full time position."

"What?"

"Lila you're a great photographer. One of the best we have. We want you here permanently." Steven said with a smile. Lila's eyes began to tear.

"I don't think I can do it Steven." She stood slowly.

"Remember there is always a job here if you want one." Lila nodded, silently thanking him before turning towards the door. "Wait." Steven said making her stop. "Shannon does know you're leaving?" Her eyes remained stoic. "Lila you can't do this to him, that guy loves you."

"He's better off without me Steven." She said sternly.

"What makes you think that?"

"He just deserves someone better."

"Lila is this about the baby..."

"I have to get going." She said suddenly.

"Lila, that wasn't your fault. Things like that sometimes happen and there's..."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me Steven. If you're ever in New York look me up." She quickly exited his office without another word. She knew he was right though. She couldn't just leave without saying anything to Shannon. What about Nicole and Mike? She stepped out of the building and sat on a bench near the road. The tears came freely, they had been almost none stop for the past week. She needed to get away, go back to school, be anywhere but there. She pulled out her phone and began dialing a familiar number.

_"Hey babe!"_ Tim's voice said brightly.

"Tim..." her voice cracked.

_"Darling what's wrong?"_ She began sobbing as she told him everything that had been going on in the past months. She had felt bad for not talking to him as much as she promised she would, but Tim was there for her as always.

_"Babe are you sure you want to come back here?"_

"I need to Tim."

_"What about Shannon?"_

"He deserves better than me. I can't cause him any more pain." She had seen how bad losing the baby had effected him. He had trouble in the ring, he cried more than she ever needed to see. She couldn't stay and risk causing him any more pain.

_"I am going to leave this decision solely on you Lila. I think you're making a mistake, but I will support you none-the-less."_

"Thank you Tim." Lila said gratefully. Yeah, so he didn't agree with her. At least he wasn't going to lecture her.

_"What time is your flight getting in?" _

"Monday morning at 10." She said trying to control her tears.

_"Alright hun, I'll be there. Everything is going to be alright, I promise." _

"Bye Tim." He said his good-bye before she hung up the phone. She calmed herself down enough to climb into a rental car and make the drive over to Shannon's place. Her heart was pounding as she pulled into the driveway and she saw his Hummer. She thought he might be at the Gas Chamber so she could at least get some packing done before she told him, but no such luck. She walked slowly into the house only to have Oz come bounding over to her.

"Hey beautiful." Shannon said with a slight smile.

"Hey..." She replied softly.

"Is everything alright?" Her eyes connected with his. She could feel the nausea coming on.

"We need to talk." She said softly nodding towards the living room. The tension in the room was thick. Shannon's mind was racing a mile a minute wondering what was going on. Her had a sinking suspicion about what she was going to say. Her sat on the couch and motioned for her to sit beside him, but she shook her head.

"Lila what's going on." He asked as he watched her pace back and forth. She just needed to say it, say it and get it over with.

"Shannon, I am going back to New York." Her words hung in the air.

"What?" Was all he could manage to say.

"I can't stay here anymore."

"What about us?"

"Shannon you deserve someone better."

"This is bullshit!" he screamed standing up.

"Please don't do this Shannon." She asked, as she began crying... again.

"What do you want me to do Lila? I think that it's bullshit. There is no one better I want you."

"I can't stay Shannon." She said softly.

"Why not?" His eyes were beginning to tear.

"I just can't."

"After all that we've been through, you're just going to walk away?!" He threw his hands in the air. Lila didn't know what to say so she just remained silent. "Fine, fuck you then." He said with an icy tone to his voice. He grabbed his keys and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. She heard his car start and pull out into the street. She stood for a moment looking around Shannon's living room. She loved the red color he had painted it. Oz came slowly up to her and she picked him up.

"I'm gonna miss you buddy." She said softly. He licked her face and she laughed slightly before putting him back down. The packing was tedious, mostly because Lila was still having trouble doing every-day things. The doctor said she should be back to herself in a few weeks.

"Lila!" Nicole's voice rang throughout Shannon's house. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked her as she walked into the bedroom and saw her suitcase almost packed.

"I have to go Nicole."

"No, Lila you don't!" It wasn't hard to tell she was angry.

"Listen, I just can't stay here. I don't expect you to understand, I don't expect anyone to understand." She continued throwing things in her suitcase, only now it was with more force. "I suppose Steven told you."

"Hardly." Nicole said coldly. "Shannon came to Matt's extremely upset. He said you were leaving him and going back to New York. No one believed him for a minute, until we saw how upset he was."

"He's better off without me."

"How can you say that?!" Nicole wanted to hit her, but at the same time she wanted to just calmly reason with her. "Lila this is crazy. You have a great future here." Lila picked up the pair of Shannon's boxer briefs she had worn the day they took pictures. She closed her eyes fighting back as many tears as possible before going to Shannon's dresser and putting then back where she found them. She looked around for anything she might have missed as Nicole looked on in shock.

"I am leaving on the early morning flight tomorrow." Lila said softly.

"This is not the girl I met nearly four months ago."

"You're right Nicole, it's not." Lila said closing her suitcase. "And I don't know if that girl can ever come back." She moved passed her and into the hallway but she turned around. "I am sorry Nicole. I really am." A few tears escaped Nicole's eyes.

"Lila, he loves you. You're a part of our family now. Please don't leave."

"I'm sorry." She walked into the kitchen, grabbed her keys and left. Nicole stood shocked for a moment before pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, flipping it open, and searching through her contacts.

_"Hey baby..." _Mike said softly. _"Any news?"_

"She's gone Mike."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Lila!" Tim screamed as he saw her exit her gate. He could tell the past few weeks had taken their toll. She just didn't look like herself. She ran to him as fast as she could and pulled him into a hug. She began crying right there, and she needed to. He just held onto her. "It's going to be alright. I promise you." He helped her to a taxi cab, and they went to his apartment. He made her a cup of tea and was able to help her calm down. They talked for the next few hours non-stop about everything. She needed to just talk, and Tim was happy to listen.

"The last thing he said to me was 'fuck you then' and he left." She said her eyes fixated on the tea in front of her.

"He was angry hun, he didn't mean it."

"He has a right to be angry. I left him, but it's better for him in the long run and he will see that."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" He asked. She looked into his eyes. She knew she was trying primarily to convince herself. "That's what I thought." He said after a moment. She just sat back in her chair and closed her eyes.

- - - - - - - -

Shannon opened the door to his house and threw his keys across the room. How dare she leave him like this? After everything they had been through. What did she mean by he deserved better? What the fuck was her problem? To say he was angry was an understatement. He poured some food for Oz and filled his water bowl before stomping down the hallway and into his bedroom. He needed a hot shower, then he was going to drink until he couldn't feel anything. He ripped off his shirt and removed him pants before opening his dresser to grab a clean pair of boxer-briefs. He pulled out the first pair he saw, but regretted it immediately. It was the pair she had worn the morning she took those pictures of him, he took those pictures of her wearing them. He held them in his hands and sat on the edge of his bed. He wanted to be mad at her, he wanted to hate her, but he couldn't. He loved her. He didn't care that they had only known each other for a few months, he loved her. A few tears fell down his cheeks but he didn't try to wipe them away. "What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flats kept playing through his head. Needless to say, it really didn't help. He need Lila with him, and nothing was going to change that. He set his head in his hands and just closed his eyes wishing she was next to him.


	13. Should I?

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**BIG THANK YOU to Peleinferno(lil sis), mltjrbabe, Rated-R-For-Randomness, Missmurder424, The Niki Reid, lknights91, rory21, and extremeshan81 for your awesome reviews! You definitely keep me going and you all ROCK!!**

_**A/N: Sorry this chapter is kinda boring, it's a bit of a filler...**_

Lila looked at New York City from the balcony of Tim's Manhattan apartment. She had loved being in New York, but it seemed empty. It was almost 4 in the morning and yet the city was alive. People were walking the streets, cars speeding past, lights bright as always. It was nothing like North Carolina.

"You alright?" Tim asked coming from behind her. She jumped slightly and turned around.

"You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry." He said leaning against the railing next to her. "I love New York."

"I do too."

"I know, who would have ever thought you would belong in North Carolina." Lila turned toward him, staring intently. "Don't give me that look Lila. You know you should be there, not here."

"It's too late to go back Tim."

"What makes you think that?"

"He probably hates me now."

"He loves you."

"Tim, we are both better off away from each other." Tim stormed back into his apartment. "What?!" She called following him.

"You both need each other and you're both acting like idiots. I can't stress that enough, IDIOTS!" Lila eyed him, watching intently.

"You've talked to him." She said with an accusatory tone. Tim looked away from her. "You did, didn't you?" Tim started to walk towards his bedroom but Lila grabbed his arm. "Tim."

"Alright!" He said pulling his arm away. "He called me the morning you got here, one of the few times you were asleep. He wanted to know if you were alright, where you were. He loves you."

"Then why call him an idiot?"

"His mood changes day to day. One day he wants you back, one day he's better off without you, one day you're better off without him. You two are both idiots. However, one thing always remains the same, no matter what excuse you guys give for not talking to one another, you both still love each other." Lila sat down on the couch, tears streaming down her face. "Lila..." he kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hands. "What happened to you was awful... but it wasn't your fault. Most importantly Shannon doesn't blame you for what happened. You need to get it through your head that Shannon Brian Moore is head over heels in love with you. He wants to work through what happened, he wants to get passed it, and, one day, he wants to try again."

"I...I..." She didn't know what to say back.

"You changed your phone number." Tim said shaking his head. She looked up at him. She had changed her phone number. Nicole, Mike, Jeff, and Matt had been calling non-stop and she couldn't deal with it anymore. The only person who knew her number was John, and she knew he wouldn't tell anyone.

"I couldn't deal with them calling all the time." Tim raised an eyebrow. "Tim, you know me. I hate being pushed. I just couldn't take it." He moved to sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"You need to call him Lila. You need him and he needs you." Lila looked at him, maybe he was right.

"I need to get some sleep." She hugged Tim and made her way into the guest bedroom.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

John Hennigan, better known as John Morrison sat in his locker room preparing for an upcoming match with Mike against Finlay and Hornswaggle when her heard his phone begin to ring.

"Hello?"

_"Hey John." _Her voice was tired and strained.

"Hey beautiful. How are you?"

_"As best as can be expected." _

"Have you called Shannon yet?" He asked quietly as he grabbed his wrestling boots.

_"You sound like Tim." _she sighed. _"I want to John... I just, I don't know..."_

"That boy is head over heels for you Lila. You leaving hasn't changed that. He wants you back." John gave up on preparing for his match. Lila was more important. "Do you love him?"

_"Yes, I love him John."_

"All you need is love."

_"I love the Beatles, I love John Lennon... but that song is kind of bullshit." _

"Listen babe. He is in love with you, you're in love with him. You made a big mistake by leaving, and he made a mistake by not coming after you."

_"I know."_

"Listen I have a match coming up, but call if you need anything."

_"Thanks John. I miss you."_

"I miss you too. Later." He hung up the phone.

"Who were you just talking to?" Mike asked from behind him. John turned quickly around and saw Nicole and Mike standing in the doorway to the locker room._ Shit._ He thought to himself.

"No one man, come on we have to get to the gorilla position." He tried to walk passed them, but Mike roughly grabbed his arm.

"We're you just talking to Lila?" Nicole asked with a scowl on her face.

"John.." Mike said, a warning tone to her voice.

"Yes, alright. I was talking to Lila."

"What's her new number?" Nicole asked pulling out her cell.

"I am not telling either of you her new number." Nicole looked shocked.

"Why the hell not?!" She asked, Mike wrapped his arms around her.

"Listen, she needs time. She will contact you when she's ready." John said walking out the door. Nicole tried to go after him but Mike stopped her.

"Hun, he's not going to tell you anything. Just give her time." Nicole opened her mouth to argue, but Mike silenced her by pressing his lips to hers. They stood like that for a moment before she opened her mouth deepening the kiss. He pulled away placing one last soft kiss on her lips. "I have to get out there."

"Alright." She kissed him again. "Good luck." He winked and walked toward the gorilla position. Nicole stood still for a few moments before making her way towards a different locker room. She got there in record time and began knocking on the door. It opened to reveal a tired looking Matt Hardy.

"I need to talk to you." She said pushing him out of the way and heading into the locker room.

"Please come in." He said sarcastically.

"What's going on?" Jeff asked standing up from the couch. Shannon merely looked on, his eyes looking towards Nicole suspiciously.

"It's about Lila." She said looking towards Shannon. He sat up straight.

"Did she call you? Do you know her number? Please tell me." He said his eyes almost misting over.

"I don't have her number, but John does."

"Morrison?" Matt asked shocked.

"Yeah, they were close friends when she first got here."

"Did he give you the number?" Jeff asked.

"No, he said she'll call us when she's ready." Shannon's knuckles were getting white because his fists were clenched so tightly.

"How do you know he has her number?" Shannon asked quietly.

"Mike and I went to meet John in his locker room before there match. When we came in he was saying something like, 'he's in love with you, you're in love with him... you made a big mistake leaving, he made a mistake not coming after you.' He never actually mentioned her name, but we confronted him and he admitted it was Lila." Shannon looked towards the television. Miz and Morrison had just beaten Finlay and Hornswaggle, and they were coming back up the ramp. Shannon, without saying a word, walked quickly out of the locker room.

"Oh fuck..." Jeff said quickly following him. Matt and Nicole were on their heals. They made their way towards the gorilla position, but not before Shannon caught sight of John. He grabbed him and threw him against a wall.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" John sais trying to push Shannon off of him.

"What the hell are you doing talking to her?"

"She's my friend Shannon, and she needed someone to talk to."

"Are you fucking her?!" Shannon asked. Everyone stared at him shocked.

"What?!" John asked finally pushing him away. "Are you crazy?"

"ARE YOU?" he roared.

"No! Of course not! That girl is head over heals for you!" John screamed back at him. "I am just trying to help her."

"Why did she come to you?! Why not to Matt or Jeff or Nicole for that matter?" He asked, his temper getting back to normal.

"She needed to talk to someone who wasn't that close to you. Someone who could be objective and just be there to listen and offer advice that's best for her."

"And what did you tell her?" Matt asked.

"That's between her and me." He replied trying to walk back towards the locker rooms, but Shannon shoved him hard against the wall again. Jeff grabbed a hold of Shannon. John went to walk away again, but Shannon called after him.

"Please tell me." He said trying to keep himself in check. His eyes began to water, but he tried not to cry. John walked back towards him and looked at Jeff, silently telling him to let him go. Jeff did and Shannon almost fell forward.

"Shannon." John said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I told her to call you." Shannon looked up at him with a disbelieving look in his eyes. "She loves you Shannon. Trust me. She blames herself for what happened, and half of her thinks you hate her anyway."

"Why would she think that?" He asked shocked.

"Because she left so abruptly. You telling her 'fuck you' didn't help much either."

"I was just..."

"Angry, I figured that much and no one blames you for being angry." John said softly. "You two need to just grow up and stop being idiots." John said rubbing his forehead.

"Thanks John." Shannon said staring at the floor. "And sorry for, you know, slamming you against the wall." John laughed and slapped Shannon on the back.

"I would have done the same thing. However, you can make it up to me by just being patient, waiting for Lila to come to you. Trust me she will." Shannon nodded and John was finally able to go back to his locker room.

- - - - - - - - - -

Lila sat staring at her phone, Shannon's number on the screen.

"You can do this." She said aloud to herself, but she didn't press the send button. It had been three days since she talked to John. Tonight was Smackdown and she wasn't sure if she wanted to watch it.

"You can do it you know..." The voice said softly from behind her. She turned around and ran to hug the person.

"What are you doing here?" She asked shocked. John smiled at her.

"I thought you could use some company."

"You have no idea." She said, her arms still around him.

"You up for watching the Shaman of Sexy kick some ass?" He said pulling her towards the couch.

"I don't know John." She said barely fighting him.

"Oh come on, you love the WWE, no sense in someone stopping that." He turned on the tv just as the credits began. She sat uncomfortably watching matches with both Matt and Jeff, she missed those two. As Shannon and Jimmy came out for their tag match Lila shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You need to call him Lila." John said seriously. She just bowed her head and tried desperately not to cry.

"I know."

"Call him right now Lila." He said seriously. He grabbed her phone off the table and dialed Shannon's number. "All you have to do is hit send." She stared at the phone for a moment before taking it from him. She took a few deep breaths and John sat rubbing her back. He wasn't going to push her any more than she already had, this was her choice. She could swear her heartbeat was echoing through out the room as she hit the green send button on her phone. She placed the phone to her ear and listened to the ringing. After a few rings it went to voicemail. Lila's heart dropped.

_"Hey you've reached SHANNON!! Leave me a message bitch!"_ -Beep- Her heart was beating faster than she could have imagined.

"Hey Shannon, it's Lila... If you could please give me a call back when you get this..." She didn't know what else to say. "Thanks... Bye" She hung up the phone and took a shaky breath.

"You didn't give him your number." John said shaking his head.

"It will be under his missed calls." She said looking out the window.

"Right..." he said rubbing her shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine Lila." She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Thanks John."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hey guys." Mike said with a smile as he and Nicole walked into Matt's house.

"Hey you two." Matt said with a smile offering them both a beer.

"Anyone heard from Lila?" Nicole asked taking a seat next to Jeff.

"No, Matt and I haven't." Jeff said sullenly. "What about you Shan?" Shannon reached into his pocket, but a confused look came across his face. He searched through his other pockets for a moment.

"I left my phone in my car. I'll be right back guys." He said quickly leaving the house and walking towards his car. He opened the drivers side door and retrieved his phone from his cup holder. She noticed a missed call, but didn't recognize the number. _Please don't say fans got my cell number._ He thought to himself before dialing into his voicemail. That had happened to Matt once, and his phone was ringing non-stop. He almost dropped his phone as her heard her beautiful voice.

_"Hey Shannon, it's Lila... If you could please give me a call back when you get this...Thanks... Bye" _He quickly saved the message. He went into his missed calls and stared at the number before saving her to his contacts. It was almost 1 in the morning, and he wasn't sure if he should call her. He pocketed his phone and walked back towards the house.


	14. What Now?

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**HUGE thank you to Peleinferno (lil sis), lknights91, mltjrbabe, ShannonMooreFan, Missmurder424, The Niki Reid, 68 stones, Medieval Mystic, rory21, and Rated-R-For-Randomness (you rock) for all your AWESOME reviews! You guys keep me going, and keep me writing!! Thank you so much!**

"There you are, what took so long?" Matt asked as Shannon reclaimed his seat on the couch. He picked up his beer and downed it in a few gulps. "Earth to Shan."

"Lila called." His voice was almost monotone, his eyes staring blankly at the carpet.

"What??" Nicole asked moving to kneel in front of Shannon. "What did she say?"

"She asked me to call her back..."

"Why didn't you?" Nicole asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't want to wake her up." Shannon said with the same tone to his voice. Everyone turned to look at the clock on the wall.

"Man she's still awake." Jeff said confidently. "One thing I got out of John was that she hasn't been sleeping well." Shannon's eyes remained on the carpet.

"Come on Shan, call her." Matt said seriously. "You've been dying to hear from her and you did. You have her number, just call her." Shannon pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it for a few moments. Half of him was angry at Lila for leaving. Yeah, they had problems, but she should have stayed.

"I don't know if I want to."

"WHAT?!" Nicole was standing over him, a dangerous look in her eye. "You have been pining over her for days! It's obvious you are in love with her. Now, I am sure it took a lot of courage for her to call you, but she did. So you damn well better call her!!" The room was silent. Mike looked at his beautiful girlfriend with a bemused expression. When she was angry, everyone better stand back.

"I love you Nicole." He said with a smile, making everyone in the room turn to him. Nicole's face blushed a brilliant shade of red and she smiled brightly. However, she turned back to Shannon with a scowl.

"Call her."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What is it with your Christian Bale obsession?" John asked Lila as he looked through her DVD's. "You must have 10 of his movies here!"

"Hey, he's an amazing actor and he's hot."

"Women."

"Hey, you're one to talk Mr. 'People can grate cheese on my stomach.'" Lila said with a small smile.

"Well, it got you to smile so it works." John replied. "So, Equilibrium?"

"Perfect." Lila said sitting back in her seat. "My favorite film." John sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and sighed.

"Don't worry he'll call."

"Maybe I waited too long John." Lila said softly. "I should have called him sooner, no fuck that... I never should have left."

"Babe we all make mistakes." John said with a smile. "Shannon is crazy about you."

"I'm crazy about him."

"Yeah, I had no idea." He said sarcastically. "I mean, you never gave ANY signs of that."

"Smartass."

"Just watch Christian Bale." John said pushing her lightly. She settled back against him as he wrapped his arms around her. The days of not sleeping finally began catching up with her as she felt her eyelids getting heavy. John felt her breathing change and looked down to see her sleeping peacefully. As he turned his attention back to the film before he heard a slight buzzing. He maneuvered ever so slightly to grab Lila's phone off the table in front of them.

"Hello." He said quietly. "Hello??" He pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen. It was Shannon. "Hey Shannon."

_"Who is this?"_

"It's John."

_"W-What are you doing there??"_ John could hear the jealousy in Shannon's voice. It almost seemed at a boiling point.

"Lila needed someone to talk to and she needed..."

_"What did she need?!"_

"She needed someone to tell her she was being an idiot and to call you." John said bluntly. He was met by silence. "Shannon, do you want to talk to her?"

_"I-I'm sorry John. I don't know what's come over me lately." _

"You're in love man, just deal with it."

_"Where is she?"_

"Right here next to me, she finally fell asleep watching Equilibrium."

_"She's always loved Christian Bale. I'm surprised she fell asleep. Usually she can't keep her eyes off the screen when he's on."_ Shannon said with a small laugh. _"Don't wake her. I, uh, have a better idea, but I am going to need your help."_

"So you've come to your senses?" John asked.

_"Will you help me?"_

"What do you need me to do?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Lila opened her eyes and glanced around. John must have carried her to her bedroom the previous night, she was grateful. Actually, she was simply grateful to get a good night's sleep for once. The sun was shining brightly, it must have been around noon. She decided to take a quick shower before she made her way out into the living room.

"John?" She had checked the guest room, but it was empty. She headed into the kitchen and found a note on the table.

_"Lila, I had to run to a meeting at MSG, I will be back soon. Hope you slept well._

_John"_

She poured herself a bowl of cereal and watched a few minutes of TV, but she was restless, and she still couldn't get Shannon out of her mind. After changing into a pair of blue jeans and a black hoodie she made her way out to the streets of New York. The city was just as much alive then as it had been the night she arrived. She walked down broadway looking at all the Marques. If she could single handedly pick where she worked, Lila would have picked Broadway. Her phone began ringing in her pocket and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat, a bright smile on her face. It faltered slightly when she read the caller ID.

"Hello John"

_"Hey beautiful. Where'd you go?"_

"Just for a walk. I wanted to think. Where are you? Still at MSG?"

_"No, I just got back to the apartment. Are you going to be long?"_

"Not really why?" She asked raising an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see.

_"I have to get back on the road soon, and I wanted to spend some time with you." _Lila just smiled to herself. Thank Goodness for John.

"I'll be there soon."

_"Still thinking about Shannon?" _

"Do you really even have to ask that anymore?" She said sullenly.

_"No, I guess not." _

"I'll see you soon John." She hung up the phone and began walking back towards her apartment. It was a warm, beautiful day, but Lila didn't really see any of it. Did he have to bring up Shannon? She regretted leaving and she tried to call him, but it was too late. He hadn't called back. She opened the door to her apartment and walked into her living room where John was sitting watching television.

"How was the walk?" He asked barely looking at her.

"Fine, what are you watching?"

"Reign of Fire." He replied with a smirk. She just laughed and sat down next to him.

"Come on John, you know I can resist that." She said with a smile.

"You never could resist a Christian Bale film..." A soft voice said from the hallway. She turned quickly to connect with those amazing blue-green eyes Lila had come to love.

"Shannon..." She said shocked.

"I am, uh, going to leave you guys alone." John said before quickly making his exit. Lila heard her apartment door close and she was left staring at Shannon.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Shannon moved closer to her and sat down on the couch.

"I got your message."

"You couldn't have just called?" Lila asked, receiving a small laugh from Shannon.

"I wanted to see you." he said softly, his eyes connecting with hers. She felt the sudden urge to look away. She didn't want him to see her cry, but she couldn't. She missed staring into his eyes. A tear fell down her cheek and he reached up wiping it away with his thumb.

"Shannon I am so sorry." She said, her voice shaking. He moved closer to her resting his forehead on hers. "Please say something." Shannon pulled back and looked into her eyes. She was now crying freely.

"Lila, I can't pretend to know why you left, and I can't say it was alright..." He took a deep breath. "You hurt me Lila. You just left, we both were going through something. That baby was mine too, and I needed you. You weren't there and I needed you." Lila turned away from him.

"I am so sorry Shannon. I honestly don't know what else I can say. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did..." She stood up and walked towards the other side of the room. Shannon followed her and grabbed her wrist turning her around.

"Listen, I am staying at the Holiday Inn, right down from here. I want to talk some more, but I... I just can't right now." He turned and began walking towards her door.

"Shan wait!" She called, he turned to look at her. "I love you." His eyes never left hers, but he didn't say anything back. She watched him walk out of her apartment and she heard the door close behind him. She made her way slowly over to the couch before falling onto it and crying harder than she ever had. John came back a few minutes later and laid down next to her on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her as sobs racked her body.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Come on please." John said pouting.

"John, I really don't want to go out. I am obviously not in the mood." Lila replied.

"Come on. Tim will be there, and Nicole and Mike are in town. Please come."

"Where?"

"Just that bar down the street. I think it's called Evon?" John said pouting. "Please... please!"

"Fine, I'll go." She said with a sigh. "But, promise me if I want to leave you'll let me."

"If you want to leave I will even walk you back here." He said seriously. Lila sighed but got up and got a shower. She walked into her bedroom and picked out black hip-hugger jeans and a white fitted T-shirt with the Joker from "Dark Knight" on it. John was wearing tight jeans with an equally tight shirt that showed off every muscle he had.

"Ready?" Lila asked grabbing her wallet and putting it into her front pocket.

"Yes ma'am, and may I say you look beautiful." Lila merely nodded.

"You don't look to bad yourself John." He extended his arm which she gladly took and the two made their way down to the bar. It was pretty crowded inside, but Lila immediately spotted Tim and they made their way over to a table he had saved. Nicole and Mike were already there. Lila walked up tentatively.

"Hey guys!" John said brightly. Lila looked at each of them and bit her lip. Nicole made her way over and stood in front of Lila.

"I don't know why you left..." She started. "But I am so glad to see you again!" She grabbed Lila into a hug which was returned graciously.

"I'm sorry." Lila said to her and Mike.

"Listen, don't be sorry." Mike said putting his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember we're here for you alright?"

"Trust me, I'm not doing anything that stupid again." She said with a small smile before giving Nicole another hug. The night progressed slowly. Lila still couldn't help but think about Shannon, why hadn't he said I love you back? Her mind was still wondering when John pulled her back into reality.

"Lila, earth to Lila!"

"What?" She asked.

"Are you going to see for us?" He asked pointing to the stage. A karaoke set was up.

"No, I'm good." She said shaking her head.

"Oh come on girl. I remember you singing at Matt's. We all know you can." Nicole urged. She turned to look at Tim. He smiled softly at her.

"Just sing what you're feeling hun. You know as well as I do how therapeutic that is." He said touching her hand. Lila took a deep breath, nodded, and made her way towards the stage. She grabbed the mic and began looking though the song lists. She picked her favorite Sister Hazel song and the music started.

_Grey Ceiling on the Earth_

_Well it's lasted for a while_

_Take my thoughts for what they're worth_

_I've been acting like a child_

_Your opinion, what is that? It's just a different point of view_

_So, what else what else can I do?_

_I said I'm sorry, and I'm sorry_

_I said I'm sorry but what for if I hurt you_

_Then I hate myself, I don't wanna hate myself, don't wanna hurt you_

_Why do you choose your pain_

_If you only knew_

_How much I love you, Love you_

_I won't be your winter_

_I won't be anyone's excuse to cry_

_and we can be forgiven_

_And I will be here._

_Old picture on the shelf_

_Well it's been there for a while_

_Frozen image of ourselves_

_We were acting like a child_

_You read my eyes just like your diary_

_Oh remember please remember_

_Well I'm not a begger, but once more,_

_Well if I hurt you, then I hate myself, I don't want to hate myself_

_Don't want to hurt you_

_Why do you choose your pain_

_If you only knew how much I love you, Love you_

_I won't be your winter_

_I won't be anyone's excuse to cry_

_and we can be forgiven_

_And I will be here._

_I won't be your winter_

_And I won't be anyone's excuse to cry_

_And we can be forgiven_

_And I will be here..._

_I won't be your winter_

_I won't be anyone's excuse to cry_

_and we can be forgiven_

_And I will be here._

Everyone in the bar clapped, and Lila looked to see her friends all standing. A small smile played on her lips as she put the mic down and made her way back to the table. Her smile was lost suddenly as she saw Shannon standing next to her friends. The tension in the air was thick.

"You're an amazing singer, you know that?" He asked smiling slightly.

"Thank you." Was all Lila could manage to say.

"Think we could talk?" He asked motioning to the door. Her eyes briefly scanned the table and Nicole was nodding.

"Yeah... sure." They made their way outside, a blast of cool night air hitting them as soon as they opened the door. They began walking towards her apartment, in silence at first.

"I'm sorry I just left like that today."

"You don't have to be sorry Shan. You had every reason to leave." She said softly. He gripped her hand and turned her towards him.

"When you said I love you and I..."

"Shan, don't."

"Let me finish Lila." He said shaking his head. "I didn't say it because part of me wanted to hurt you. And it's childish, and I was being a dumbass." Lila merely nodded. "Lila, I love you. I do love you. Everyone makes mistakes and I know you're sorry for leaving. I forgive you. I just love you." For the first time in what seemed like forever Lila smiled, a genuine smile which Shannon returned.

"I love you too Shannon." He cupped her cheek and pulled her close, their lips connecting softly. They knew this was where they needed to be. Neither of them ever wanted to kiss another person. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his hands on her back as the kiss deepened. Neither cared about the people walking by them, they just wanted each other.


	15. A Surprise

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

HUGE THANKYOU to Peleinferno (lil sis), ShannonMooreFan, mltjrbabe, 68 stones, Medieval Mystic, lknights91, Rated-R-For-Randomness, rory21, and Twinjodi for your amazing reviews! You all keep me writing!! Thank you!!

A/N: This chapter will start right after 14 ended, but will skip a head a significant amount of time a little way into it. Just wanted to let you know.

Also... for any of you wrestling fans... a new forum has been started. It's not much right now, just a few members but it's just a fun place to talk about wrestling. So I hope you'll join! The site is: wrestlingfans.19.

Hope to see you there!

_"Let's start a riot! A riot! Let's start a riot!"_

Lila's phone blared through her once quiet New York bedroom.

"Hello?" She said, sleep lacing her voice.

_"Chica, where have you been?"_ Nicola asked cheerfully. _"Wait, wait... don't tell me. You are laying in bed while a certain reject is beginning to wake up right beside you?"_ Lila turned and sure enough Shannon was slowly waking up. His green-blue eyes stared into her brown ones, a smile on his face.

"Nicole, I will have to call you back." She said before closing her phone. She placed it on her night-stand then turned to face Shannon. "Morning."

"Morning beautiful." He said softly. He wrapped his protective arms around her as she listened to the beating of his heart.

"I missed this."

"I did too." He said with a slight laugh.

"And what are you laughing about Mr. Moore?"

"I just missed what we did last night too..." He started laughing as Lila tried to tickle him. He quickly grabbed her arms and moved on top of her pinning her down to the bed. The laugher died down and they were left staring at one another. He leaned down slowly capturing her lips with his, the kiss deepened and Lila moaned making Shannon smile.

"LILA!" Tim screamed as he opened the door. "OH SHIT! I'm sorry!" He closed the door quickly and Shannon and Lila could hear laughing from several sets of voices. Lila quickly got dressed and walked to the hallway where Tim, Mike, and Nicole were all red faced and laughing.

"I should beat each and every one of you." Lila said, though she was smiling.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Mike said smoothly. Nicole turned to him and placed a soft kiss on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Enough you two, go to your hotel room to do that!" Lila said making her way passed them and towards the kitchen.

"Oh, that already happened..." Mike said as Nicole blushed scarlet. "Three times." He continued. "And that's only last night."

"Nice one man." Shannon said coming up behind them. Mike turned and Shannon gave him a high five. Lila, Nicole, and Tim all just rolled their eyes. Once in the kitchen Lila made a pot of coffee while Nicole, with her extraordinary cooking skills, made everyone eggs and bacon.

"So, Lila..." Nicole said scooping bacon onto her boyfriends plate. "Are you going to come back to the magazine?" The room was suddenly silent, and Lila felt as if she was under a microscope.

"I don't know..." She said truthfully. "I mean I loved working there, but I might be able to get a job at National Geographic, some place like that. Travel all over the world."

"You can do that with WWE Magazine too." Mike said in between bites of food. "We go overseas all the time."

"Yeah, I mean we're suppose to be heading to England in a few weeks." Nicole remarked.

"Oh Lila, you love England!" Tim said excited. "Why don't you go back to WWE Magazine?" Shannon remained quiet just eating his breakfast. He knew this had to be Lila's decision and Lila's alone. He didn't want her to feel that she had to come back just for him. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Lila sat on his lap.

"What do you think Shan?" She asked. He thought for a few moments.

"I think you should do whatever makes you happy, and I'll stand beside you no matter what that is."

"Really?" She asked a large smile appearing on her face.

"Really." She kissed him passionately and the two remained that way for a few moments. All she needed to know was that he would be there for her despite what she wanted to do, and she could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth.

"So?" Nicole asked.

"So, I think I better go call Steven and see if the offer for a full time job still stands." She said heading into the living room. Nicole, Tim, and Mike all cheered while Shannon just smiled.

- - - - - - - - -

-1 year later-

"So where are you two headed tonight?" Lila asked Nicole who was taking off her make-up from their most recent photo shoot.

"Um, he's taking me dancing, so I can get my groove on..." Nicole started dancing a little as she said it. "Then he said we're just going for a walk on the beach."

"Ooh, sounds romantic!" Lila said before putting her camera away.

"Yeah, you would never know it from the character he plays on the show but Mike is such a sweetie."

"Sometimes..." Lila remarked with a smile.

"Ok, let me rephrase. He's a sweetie to me."

"Better." Lila looked towards the clock in Nicole's dressing room. "You better hurry girl. Mike's going to be here in a half an hour."

"Aren't you and Shannon going out tonight?" Nicole asked picking out her outfit.

"No, we're going to go spend some quality time with Matt and Jeffy."

"Oh, how is Jeff doing?" Nicole asked carefully.

"Alright. I think he's going to stay clean for good this time. He loves his job, and I know he doesn't want to lose it over something as stupid as drugs."

"Well, send him my love, alright?"

"Sure thing girl. Now go get ready!" Lila said pushing Nicole towards her shower. "And have fun tonight!" Nicole waved before closing the bathroom door. Lila picked up her camera, and she turned to look at Nicole's dressing room smiling brightly before leaving to meet with the guys.

- - - - - - - - -

"Do you think she'll call?" Jeff asked Lila.

"Yeah, and I will probably be deaf after receiving that phone call tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Matt asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. Just trust me on this." Lila said as she leaned back into Shannon's arms. "So what are we doing tonight boys?"

"Well, I do have a game we could play." Matt said with a scary smirk on his face.

"Uh oh, this can't be good." Shannon commented. "What is it?"

"It's called Win the Shot, Call the Spot."

"Oh shit." Lila said shaking her head.

"You've heard of it?" Jeff asked kind of shocked.

"I do watch the Hardy show, and I have seen that episode. I'm game." She said shrugging her shoulders. Shannon just smiled. Lila's was usually up for anything, she was crazy but safe. He loved it. "But... there is no way in hell that I am going to spray tan your ass Matt. Do you understand me?" The four of them began to laugh as they made their way into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of Orange Smirnoff.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Baby that was so much fun thank you!" Nicole said a big smile plastered on her face. She was still dancing a bit as they walked along the shore line at the beach.

"I'm glad you had fun." He said entwining his fingers with hers. "I know how much you like to dance." He smiled at her. The moon was reflecting off her naturally tan skin, and she was driving him crazy.

"Well, you know me. Any chance to act crazy and dance like a fool.. Count me in!"

"I especially liked your rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." He said laughing.

"Yeah, you should see Lila and I doing that. Especially when we get a few drinks in us."

"I can only imagine." He said with a smile.

"Let's go swimming." Nicole said randomly looking towards the water. "It's warm, let's do it." The tour was in California as the moment. Nicole's home state. The weather was warm and clear. It was a full moon and the stars were shining brilliantly.

"Swimming?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, swimming."

"We don't have any swimsuits." He said shaking his head.

"So, we won't wear anything." She said with a wink. She began to walk towards the water but he held onto her hand and pulled him back towards him wrapping his arms around her. "Is something wrong babe?"

"No, sweetie nothing's wrong." he said pulling away and looking down at her.

"You're acting a little odd are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous." He said not really looking at her.

"Baby why are you nervous?" She asked seriously. He stared into her brown eyes and took a deep breath. He was actually starting to shake as he got down on one knee and pulled a velvet box from his pocket.

"Nicole, I have a question to ask you." Her eyes began to water. He opened the box revealing a gold diamond engagement ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes of course I'll marry you!" She screamed. He placed the ring on her left ring finger before standing back up and lifting her into a hug. He kissed her passionately. Time seemed to stand still and they never wanted the kiss to end. He finally pulled away.

"I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too Mike." She replied.

"So, what do you say to going back to the hotel room?" He asked smirking.

"I'd say what's the fastest way there?"

- - - - - - - -

"No... I don't wanna!" Lila whined. She was slurring her speech. They all were.

"You lost the shot against me. I called the spot." Matt said laughing. "You have to run down the hallway naked!"

"Shan!!" Lila whined.

"You did lose babe." He said laughing.

"Do you really want your friends to see me naked?"

"Hey, as long as they don't touch you..." Shannon said shrugging his shoulders. Lila just looked stunned.

"Yeah, so strip!" Jeff said with a wide grin. Lila groaned and began peeling off her clothes. She was down to her bra and underwear when she pulled a robe on.

"Robe, not part of the deal!" Matt said slurring every word.

"I am just putting it on until I get outside.. OK??" She took off her bra and underwear and walked to the door. '_What did I get myself into?'_ She thought before dropping the robe to a bunch of hoots and hollers and running up and down the hallway once. She ran back into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Love the view Lila." Jeff said smirking. She quickly pulled her robe back on and sat next to Shannon.

"Ok, I think it's time for us to go to bed." Shannon remarked. "I wanna go to bed."

"You don't want to go to sleep yet man." Matt said pouring another shot.

"No, I don't want to sleep but I want to go to bed." He said suggestively to his girlfriend.

"Later dear. For now, I am going to make Matt pay for that." She said before standing up and walking back towards the counter. "I am going to kick your ass Hardy."

- - - - - - - - - -

_"Let's start a riot! A riot! Let's start a riot!"_

"Hello..." Lila said rubbing her pounding forehead.

_"Hey Chica." _Nicole said. Lila could tell she was smiling. Lila quickly sat up.

"No, no wait. Let me guess. You are calling from bed where your fiancé is laying next to you. Smiling up at you?"

_"You knew that whole time, didn't you?"_

"Oh yeah. Congratulations hun."

_"Thank you. I can't begin to explain how happy I am." _

"You don't even have to. I know how much you love Mike, and I know how much he loves you." Lila said looking towards Shannon. "You two are basically perfect for each other."

_"Thank you." _Nicole said lightly laughing. _"Listen, I am going to get started on some wedding plans, and I was wondering if you'd meet me for lunch?"_

"Sure, just give me like 30 minutes to shower and get ready and I'll meet you in the lobby."

_"Awesome, see you then chica."_

"You too... Oh, and tell Mike congratulations for me as well."

_"I will. Peace out!" _Lila closed her phone and turned to look at Shannon. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead before grabbing her clothes and jumping into the shower. When she got out Shannon was waiting for her with coffee.

"I thought you could use this." He said handing her a cup.

"Thanks sweetie."

"Where are you headed?" He asked wrapping his arms around her.

"I am meeting the future Mrs. Mizzan for lunch."

"So, was she screaming her head off?" Shannon asked laughing.

"Nope, she was calm. She sounded genuinely happy." Lila said with a smile. She pulled away from Shannon and got dressed.

"Tell her I said congratulations." he remarked.

"I will. I'll be back up soon." Lila said. She kissed him softly. "I love you."

"I love you too babe." He watched her leave before sitting down on the edge of his bed and finishing his coffee. No one could be happier for Nicole and Mike. As soon as they met everyone on the roster knew those two were meant to be together, and finally they were getting married.


	16. A Wedding

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

Big THANK YOU to Peleinferno (lil sis), mltjrbabe, unlimited emerald0307, Medieval Mystic, lknights91, ShannonMooreFan, and rory21 for your amazing reviews! You guys keep me writing and I hope you all love this chapter!!

A/N: Anyone interesting in joining my wrestling forum... it's wrestlingfans. 19. forumer. com... Minus the spaces obviously... And if it doesn't show up, just send me a PM or IM (Believe088) and I will send you the link to it!

"I'm nervous." Nicole say playing with her newly manicured fingernails.

"You're going to be fine girl." Libby, Nicole's Maid of Honor, said reassuringly.

"Trust me Nicole... Mike is probably just as nervous." Lila said taking a seat next to her friend.

"Are you sure?" Nicole asked.

"Positive." Lila picked up her bouquet. She was wearing a lavender flowing dress and her hair was hanging loosely. "You ready?" Nicole just nodded and stood up. Her dress was elegant and beautiful. It was a stunning white and was open in the back. Her two other bridesmaids, Kristin and Danielle, helped her put her vale on and they made their way out of the dressing room. Kristin walked down the aisle first, accompanied by Matt Hardy, followed by Danielle who was accompanied by Jeff Hardy. Lila turned around and looked at Nicole.

"Good luck." She whispered before grabbing John Hennigan's waiting arm. As she was walking down the aisle she caught a glimpse of Shannon sitting near the front, he looked so handsome, Lila just smiled.

"You boy cleans up good." John whispered to her.

"You do too John."

"I already knew that."

"Don't be arrogant." Lila said with a small smile.

"You look beautiful." He kissed her hand before the two of them parted. Libby walked down next being accompanied by Mike's Best Man, Jimmy, his step-brother. Everyone got into position, Mike looked terrified, and the bridal music started. Everyone stood as Nicole made her way down the aisle. She kept her eyes on Mike and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She looked stunning, and she couldn't have been happier. She got to the front and handed her bouquet to Libby. As she turned back towards Mike he grabbed a hold of her hand and smiled brightly. Her father stood at her side, still holding her other hand. The minister opened his bible and everyone sat down, a comfortable silence fell across the room before he started to speak.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite Mike Mizanin and Nicole Limon in marriage." Everyone was smiling, and some small sniffs could be heard from Nicole's mom. "Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace." Everyone stayed silent and the minister smiled. Nicole and Mike were lost in each other's eyes. "Who is it that brings this woman to this man?"

"I do." Her father said proudly. He gave his daughter another hug before walking back to sit next to his wife.

"Mike and Nicole, life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together. Love is given to us by our family or by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges of life - and is the shared goal of a married life. Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage." Mike turned and got a ring from Jimmy as Nicole did from Libby.

"I Mike, take thee , Nicole to be my Wife- To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore." He slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I Nicole , take thee Mike, to be my Husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise My love to you forevermore." She slipped the ring onto his finger.

"Mike and Nicole as the two of you come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together - as from this day forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other." The minister said confidently. "You may kiss the bride." Mike lifted Nicole's vale and stared into her brown eyes.

"I love you." He said smiling.

"I love you too." He softly touched her face as their lips connected. It was a short sweet kiss, but full of more passion than Nicole had ever felt.

"It is my privilege to present to you Mr. & Mrs Mike Mizanin!" The minister said as he closed the bible in front of him. Everyone stood and began clapping. "Alright let's get to the reception!" John said as everyone laughed.

- - - - - - - - -

"And so... I would like to add that you better take good care of my girl Mike. She only deserves the best. I know how much she loves you, she's loved you since the two of you first met. You two are going to be together for the rest of your lives, and I know that because you can just tell when you look at two people if they're going to make it. I know you two will. Congratulations." Libby said smiling. Nicole was crying again, and even Danielle was tearing up. "To Mike and Nicole!"

"To Mike and Nicole!" Everyone in the room echoed. They all took a sip of their respective drinks and chatter started back up.

"This wedding was beautiful." Lila said looking around at all the guests.

"I know. Nicole's dress was amazing." Beth, Jeff's girlfriend, said before taking another sip of her champagne.

"Didn't it take her forever to pick that one out?" Shannon asked.

"Yeah. We had been looking all day before finding that one. Several hours." Lila said with a smile. "She actually had another one in mind then her mom just pulled that out of no where."

"I'm certainly glad she did!" Nicole said sitting down in the empty seat beside Lila.

"Why hello there Mrs. Mizanin." Lila said with a smile.

"God, you have no idea how amazing the sounds." She said beaming.

"The wedding was incredible Nicole." Jeff said with a smile.

"Thank you... Thanks for coming everyone."

"Oh come on Nicole, you know we wouldn't have missed it for the world." Matt said seriously.

"Yeah, if any one of us did, Lila might have killed us." Shannon said with a smirk, and Lila just shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head yes. Shannon just wrapped his arms around her and Lila leaned back against him.

"So where are you going on your honeymoon?" She asked.

"Oh, we were thinking Ireland. Vince was a sweetheart and just told us to take at least two to three weeks off. So we're gladly obliging."

"Oh yeah, and we'll make the best of every moment!" Mike said coming up behind Nicole. He turned her toward him and kissed her softly. "Ok... every man here must get up.. It's time to toss the garter, then the bouquet. The guys ran to the center of the room and Nicole went to grab her bouquet. Beth and Lila just laughed as the guys fought for the front spot. Mike twirled the garter around his finger suggestively and then he flung it into the crowd of waiting men. Considering they were all wrestlers several small shoving fights began. Finally CM Punk emerged holding the white lace garter.

"Alright Phil!" John said slapping him on the back.

"Ok ladies. Time to catch the bouquet!" Nicole announced. All the girls, including Lila, Beth, Beth Phoenix, and Libby converged in the center of the room. Nicole turned around and threw the bouquet over her head. There was a bunch of scrambling and before Lila knew it, the bouquet was in her hands. She heard cheering and clapping and watched Mike set a chair up next to her.

"Ok, Lila take a seat." He said indicating the chair. Blushing like mad Lila sat down and CM Punk walked up to her and kneeled down beside her.

"Let me just say..." He started, blushing himself, "Shannon please don't kill me... I mean this is tradition after-all." Everyone, including Shannon, laughed. Punk turned to Lila, his brown eyes shining as he grabbed a hold of her leg and lifted her dress. A few cheers were heard throughout the crowd. He wrapped the garter around her ankle and pushed it all the way up to her thigh. He let his hands trail back down her leg as everyone clapped. Lila finally stood up as did Punk.

"Hey, I don't believe we've ever properly met.. And it would be quite inappropriate if we didn't. I'm Phil Brooks." He said extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you Phil. I'm Lila Hotchner." She said accepting his handshake.

"I've seen your pictures. You're an amazing photographer. Plus Shannon talks about you all the time."

"Does he now?" She asked her eyes connecting with her boyfriends.

"Yep." Phil said rubbing his neck nervously. "So, I hope to see you around sometime."

"I'm sure you will. You never know, maybe I'll get to take your picture for the magazine here soon."

"I'd like that." He shook her hand again before heading off into the crowd and Lila returned to her table.

"Did you have fun Lila?" Matt asked with a teasing tone.

"You mean when CM Punk trailed his hands up and down my leg?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes that." Beth asked laughing. "I mean, I would." Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Nah, his hands weren't as good as someone else I know." Lila said with a smirk.

"And who might that be?" Shannon asked wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"My ex, his name's Dave."

"Nice." He said pulling away, but Lila turned around and pulled Shannon into a deep kiss.

"You know exactly who I was talking about." She said suggestively. He pulled her into another kiss, and his tongue softly touched her bottom lip asking for permission, which she quickly allowed.

"Ok guys... enough..." Matt said shaking his head. "Enough guys. I swear I'll pour this glass of water on you." Shannon and Lila reluctantly pulled away from each other.

"Hey kids." Nicole said walking back up to the table. "Nice work with Phil, Lila."

"Thanks, I know.. It was great." Lila said with a smirk.

"What are you up to Mrs. Miz?" Jeff said slurring his words slightly.

"Well, Mike and I are going to head out."

"Meaning go have sex." Shannon said laughing.

"Well yeah..." Nicole started blushing. "But also start our honeymoon! Anyway, come on and see us off." Everyone followed Nicole outside where Mike was waiting for her next to a limo. There was a bunch of cheering and clapping as they climbed into the backseat.

"See you guys in a few weeks!" Nicole called out the window.

"Mike remember to wear a rubber!" John shouted causing everyone to laugh. There were screams of 'Bye!' and 'Have fun!' As the limo pulled away and into the night.

"I am so tired." Lila said leaning against Shannon.

"How tired?" He asked his hand grazing her lower abdomen.

"Not that tired." She turned around and kissed him very softly, almost teasing.

"Ok, that's it, we're getting out of here." He said almost moaning. "Let me go get my car." He ran off as quickly as he could.

"Hey girl. I am getting the hell out of here. You need a ride?" John asked coming up from behind her.

"No, thanks John, but Shannon and I got a hotel room. He just went to get the car."

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah it was beautiful. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, a lot actually. Your turn next huh?" He asked with a smile. She turned to him a confused look on her face. "You caught the bouquet. Don't they say that the girl who catches the bouquet is the next one to get married?"

"I guess that's what they say." She replied shrugging her shoulders. Shannon pulled up in the rental car and got out to open her door. "I'll see you at the arena on Tuesday hun." She said pulling John into a hug which he returned. She climbed into the car and watched Shannon shake John's hand and give him a hug also. He climbed back into the car and they made their way towards the hotel. She turned to look at Shannon. His green-blue eyes were shining, even in the very dim light you could see them and he had a slight smile on his face.

"I love you." She said not taking her eyes off him. His smiled widened and he looked at her briefly.

"I love you too." He turned his attention back to the road and grabbed her hand bringing it to his lips and kissing the top softly.

"Think you could drive any faster?" She asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I think I can manage that. Excited for something?" She moved closer to him in the car and placed her hand on the band of his pants, unbuttoning the top button.

"Something like that." She whispered softly into his ear.


	17. Not Yet

1Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

A/N: As some of you may have heard... The WWE recently released Shannon Moore as a superstar... I am really upset because that guy has a lot of talent and they just don't see it! -cries- However, I know Shannon will bounce back because he's a great wrestler. Good luck Shannon! (Not that he will ever read this, but hey...)

Another A/N: Huge THANK YOU to Medieval Mystic, Peleinferno (lil sis), lknights91, Twinjodi, mltjrbabe, ShannonMooreFan, rory21, and 68 stones for your awesome reviews! You guys definitely keep me writing, and I really hope you guys like this chapter!!

_"And here's your winner... SHANNON MOORE!" _The crowed roared as Jimmy Wang Yang hugged Shannon and John Morrison stood in the ring, dumbfounded. Lila was snapping away with her camera a ringside. Shannon had just beat Morrison and she did her best not to show any emotion towards the match, though she just wanted to cheer. As the superstars made their way to the back Lila cut through the crowd to join them.

"Hey babe!" Shannon screamed as he lifted Lila off her feet.

"Ah! Shannon watch the camera!" Steven said carefully taking it from Lila's out-stretched hand and running back to one of the offices.

"You were great sweetie." Lila said kissing him passionately.

"Come on guys... Enough already, it is my ass he kicked." John said pouting. Lila let go of Shannon and pulled John into a hug.

"Yeah, he's good at that huh?" She said with a smirk. John just shook his head.

"You biased."

"Yeah, I am." Lila went back over to Shannon and her fingers entwined with his.

"I am going to go take a shower, but then do you want to grab a bite to eat?" He asked resting his forehead against hers.

"Sure, I'm just gonna go make sure Steven got some good shots and say hi to Matt. I'll meet you in 20 minutes?"

"Sounds perfect." He kissed her softly before making his way towards the locker rooms. Lila looked after him for a few seconds, said her good-byes to John, and made her way down to the offices. She knocked on the first door.

"Come in!" Steven's voice said brightly and she opened the door. "Ah, Lila. Just the girl I was looking for."

"Shots any good?" She asked timidly and Steven just rolled his eyes.

"Do you even have to ask that anymore? They're always good." He walked behind the desk and pulled out a few papers. "No, I want you to do a cover shot."

"Of who?"

"John Cena. We're doing a four cover deal for the Wrestlemania issue."

"Oh, a way to squeeze money out of fans?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "You know, 'collect all for special covers.' "

"Well yeah, but we'll just call it... you get paid to take a cover shot and not complain." He said with a wide grin. "The shoot will be tomorrow at 11 AM. So don't be late."

"You got it." Lila made her way out of the office smiling. Steven was the only person she could say something like to without fear of repercussion.

_"Let's start a riot! A riot!"_

"Hello?"

_"Hola chica!" _Nicole's voice came brightly through the phone.

"Why hello there, and how is the honeymoon?"

_"Perfect, perfect."_

"A lot of exercise?" Lila said giggling, she could practically see Nicole blushing on the other end of the phone.

_"Yes, if you must know. I swear that boy has more stamina then I know what to do with."_

"So, aside from the nightmare you just gave me, why'd ya call? Not that I am not happy to hear from you."

_"I was wondering how you were doing and what's been going on..."_

"I see.. Well, nothing really. Shannon won tonight, beat John..."

_"That's good."_

"Ok Nicole... What's really going on here?" Lila asked suspiciously.

_"What? Can't I just call my friend and see how she's doing?"_

"Ok sure, but yeah nothing much going on. How's Mike."

_"He's good, sleeping."_ Lila saw CM Punk walking towards her.

"Hey Nicole, I gotta go, but listen you have fun and don't tire yourself out too much."

_"Oh I will. Later chica!" _Lila shut her phone and shook her head.

"Hey there Lila." Punk said with a smile.

"Hey Phil, how are you?" Lila asked while shaking his hand.

"I'm doing great. Getting ready for my match against Chavo." The ECW Championship belt was draped across his shoulder.

"Yeah, good luck with that. Although I know you're going to win."

"Are you taking pictures for the match?" He asked casually.

"No, actually I am headed out here soon. I was only scheduled to take pictures of Shannon and John's match tonight."

"I bet you loved that." He said with his classic smirk.

"Oh very much so." Lila replied with her own smirk. She looked passed Punk and saw Shannon walking towards them. The look on his face was expressionless. "Hey Shan." Lila said cautiously.

"You ready?" He asked glancing slightly towards Punk.

"Yeah... I'll see you later Phil."

"Bye Lila." He watched them walking away and took in Shannon's body language. It was not going to be a good night for Lila.

- - - - - - - - - -

"You're awful quite." Lila remarked at they ate a burger. They were in Atlantic City, Maryland and sitting on the boardwalk over-looking the ocean.

"Yeah, I guess so." He took his late bite of his hamburger and threw the wrapper in the garbage can.

"Penny for your thoughts love?" Lila asked throwing her wrapper away as well. Shannon just laughed and started walking towards the beach. Lila jogged to keep up with him. "Come on Shannon, what's going on?"

"What's going on with you?" He asked suddenly stopping.

"What are you talking about?"

"Or should I be asking, what's going on with you and Punk?"

"Oh come on Shannon you can't be serious." Lila said shaking her head.

"You've been really distant the past week, and you seem to talk to him more than you do me. What am I suppose to think?"

"That he's my friend."

"Friend?" He said raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, a friend. You know like you and Matt are friends."

"Matt and I have known each other for years." Shannon said walking again. "Have you ever thought about Punk like you think about me?" Lila really didn't know what to say. Any women associated with the WWE and most fans knew Punk was a great looking guy.

"Not exactly no." She said truthfully.

"Not exactly?" He asked stopping to look directly at her.

"Shannon, I am not going to lie and say Phil isn't attractive, but I don't think about him in the same way I do you."

"I can't believe I was going to ask you..." He stopped at stared at her.

"Ask me to what?" Lila said. Shannon started to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. "No, ask me what."

"I..." He seemed at a complete loss for words. "Do you love me Lila?"

"Yes, Shannon I do."

"And Punk?"

"He is just one of my friends. We just have a lot in common, but I don't have feelings for him." He wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"I'm sorry Lila. I don't know what came over me."

"Jealousy?" Lila asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, that's the word." She turned to look up at him.

"It's good to see you smile Shan." Her lips connected softly with his. She felt his tongue touch her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, her tongue connecting with his making her moan slightly. After a few minutes Shannon pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. His hand moved to his jeans pocket where a parcel lay unopened. _'Another time.'_ He thought before moving his hand to her cheek and caressing it.

- - - - - - - - -

"Ok, where is the man of the hour!" Lila shouted making everyone laugh. "It's 11 AM... Where is the big man!"

"Hold your horses little girl!" John Cena said walking out from the dressing room. He was wearing a sports jersey and jeans, classic Cena.

"Ok, Mr. Cena. Just do your thing." Lila replied slightly laughing. He jumped onto set with his usual energy and boyish charm.

"Just put me where you want me Lila. Oh, and nothing too dirty because those photos are only for private use." He winked at her and she just shook her head.

"Yeah, but I can sell them and make millions if you don't do a good job for me here."

"Would you two just grow up and get this thing going." Steven said rolling his eyes. Lila gave him a salute before turning her attention back to Cena. She began moving around set quickly snapping shot after shot. She knew this would taker longer than normal because it was for the cover. She wanted to give Steven so many choices he wouldn't know what to do with himself. After the third break Steven took Lila's camera.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked after taking a sip of water.

"You got the shot trust me." He said with a smile.

"But I'm not done."

"Oh come on Lila!" Cena said pleadingly. "You're wearing me out. We've been at it for a long time, you must have a hundred pictures."

"216 actually." Steven said looking at her camera. "Trust me, we got it." He just walked off the set as the crew began packing things up.

"I don't know how Shannon keeps up with you." Cena said walking over to her. "If you keep him moving like this he'll be worn out by age 30."

"Very funny John." Lila said packing up the rest of her camera parts. "Good job today though."

"Good job to you." He smiled. "You're going to make me look wonderful. You definitely have a gift."

"Thanks man." She shook his hand and gave him a hug.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Once she got back to the hotel room she collapsed onto the bed where Shannon was just waking up.

"Hey beautiful." He said smiling.

"You're being lazy today huh?" She asked smirking.

"You kept me up late last night. I couldn't help it." He kissed her quickly. "How did the shoot go?"

"Great, I am excited to see what the picture is going to look like."

"I'm sure it will be amazing. You're pictures always are." She laid her head on his chest and just listened to his heart beat.

"Shan do you want to come to PA with me this week? Well, at least until the house show on Saturday?"

"PA?"

"Yeah, I need to go home to see my family, and I would like you to come."

"Sure, I'd love to." He wrapped his arms tighter around Lila and kissed her head. He felt her breathing change and knew she had fallen asleep, not that he blamed her. When she did a photo shoot she put every ounce of energy she had into it. He looked towards his suitcase sitting on the floor a few feet away, and his mind kept drifting to the small box that sat at the bottom of it. He was just waiting for the right time.


	18. Stay Like This

Disclaimer: I don't own any WWE superstars or other employees (including Shannon Moore -cries-) I do however own my OC and several other created characters. Nicole is a character based off my lil sis!

**A/N: Alright guys... this is it.. The final chapter. I am not sure if I am going to write a sequel to it, but I just want to thank everyone who has been around through this story... everyone who has reviewed, everyone who has set my story as a favorite or on alert, and everyone who has set me as a favorite author. I couldn't thank you guys enough and I really hope you enjoyed it!**

**Special BIG thanks to Peleinferno (lils sis you are awesome and definitely kept this story going!), lknights91, Medieval Mystic, Twinjodi, ShannonMooreFan, rory21, and mltjrbabe for your reviews! You are all amazing..**

**Oh and sidenote: I'm still pissed at the WWE for letting Shannon go... and I had to add that!**

Lila opened the door to her family home and a sudden warmth hit her and her boyfriend.

"Mom! I'm home!" She called happily, Shannon started to panic.

"Lila!" A women about 5'2" with dark brown hair and bright green eyes came walking towards the door and pulled her daughter into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too mom." The two women pulled away from each other and the older women's eyes traveled over the third person in her home. She stared disapprovingly at his numerous tattoos but couldn't help but smile at the nervousness she could see in his eyes.

"Mom, this is Shannon Moore. Shannon, this is my mom Jane Hotchner."

"I-It's nice to meet you Mrs. Hotchner." Shannon said shaking her hand softly. He was normally brave and outgoing, but for some reason he was scared shit-less.

"It's nice to meet you too Shannon, and please call me Jane." She smiled kindly at him. "Well, dinner is almost ready. I've just made some burgers on the grill. So, why don't you put your bags in your room and then we'll eat." She hurried off towards the kitchen while Lila lead Shannon up the stairs and down a long hallway, stopping in front of the last door on the left.

"Ok, now don't laugh at me... alright?"

"I'll try." He said with a smirk. Lila's room reminded Shannon of her. She had dark blue curtains covering the windows and the sheets on her bed were black. Various posters covered the room, some of actors, a few movie posters, and the rest were WWE. Shannon smiled as he saw a picture taped to Lila's wall beside her bed. It was one of himself, Matt, and Jeff at one of Matt's infamous Christmas parties. She must have printed it off from the net.

"Yeah... yeah." She said semi-embarrassed.

"So, even before you started actually sleeping with me, I was beside your bed?" He asked.

"Shut up." Lila piled their bags into a corner of the room.

"You know you don't look that much like your mom. I mean, I see it, but not well."

"Yeah, I look a lot like my dad." Lila said pulling a picture off her dresser. A small girl was sitting next to an older man on a porch.

"Wow, you do look like your dad. Especially your eyes." Shannon remarked. "Where is your dad? Will I meet him tonight too?"

"No." Lila said flatly. "My dad died almost two years ago." She took the picture from him and set it back on her dresser, her eyes lingering over it for a few minutes. Shannon wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks Shannon, but I'm alright." She turned and pecked him on the lips. "Come on, I'm hungry and we probably shouldn't keep mom waiting." They made their way back downstairs and onto the back porch where her mom had already set the picnic table.

"I hope you kids are hungry."

"Mom, please. Shannon's a wrestler. He could probably eat his own body weight's worth of food."

"Hey!" Shannon said with a mock-offended look on his face. The two women just laughed at him as they all settled around the table, Shannon next to Lila.

"This food is amazing Mrs. Hotchner." Shannon said after his third burger, and he definitely wasn't lying. Jane had made potato salad, cucumber salad, and then of course regular salad, and most everything was made from home grown vegetables.

"Thank you Shannon. I'm glad you're enjoying it." She replied honestly. "So, Lila how are you liking your job with the magazine?"

"Oh, it's amazing mom. I just got to shoot a cover and they use my pictures every week for the site. Plus, I get to meet a lot of amazing people."

"Yes, I saw the picture you did of CM Punk in last months magazine."

"You did?" Lila asked shocked. It was no secret that her mom was not a fan of WWE and she never expected her mom to actually buy one of the magazines.

"Yes, you told me you had some photo's in it, and I was waiting in line at the store one day, saw the magazine, and thought 'what the heck?' It was a good photo. That boy though, I think he has almost as many tattoo's as you Shannon." It caught him off guard and he coughed, but regained his composer quickly.

"Actually, I think Punk might have a few more than I do." He said mentally counting his various tattoos.

"Why, may I ask did you get all those tattoos?"

"Mom..." Lila said shaking her head.

"What? Lila I am just making conversation." She said defensively, and the three of them were quiet for a moment. "So, Shannon why do you have all those tattoos?"

"Well, they all mean something different, some mean extremely important things in my life, some are for... decoration."

"And it doesn't bother you that you will always have them?" Jane asked pressing the subject.

"Not at all." Shannon said shrugging his shoulders. "I love them all, and I know I'll never regret them." Jane seemed satisfied, kind of.

"I was shocked when Lila started getting as many tattoos as she did." Lila did a mental facepalm. "But, I realized it was her body and some of her tattoos are quite beautiful. So are yours Shannon. Though I don't understand them one bit." Lila smiled gratefully at her mom and Shannon laughed slightly.

"Yeah, my mom says the same thing."

- - - - - - - - -

"I can't believe you actually came to PA." Lila said taking a sip of her ice tea. Nicole just laughed and took another bite of her sandwich. The two of them were having lunch at a small market house restaurant while Mike and Shannon went off to do...whatever guys do.

"We were in New York and we wanted to see the two of you." Nicole said shrugging her shoulders.

"I think you're lying." Lila said abruptly and Nicole looked at her wide-eyed.

"What?"

"Why are you really here?"

"We wanted to see you." Nicole repeated, not looking directly at her friend. Lila just crossed her arms and stared at Nicole. "Ok... ok.. That's not the reason why I am actually here." Her voice had suddenly changed, she seemed sad.

"Nicole is everything alright?"

"Not exactly." She again wasn't looking at Lila.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lila was sitting straight up in her chair and she had her hand rested on the top of Nicole's. Her heart began beating faster and a millions horrible thoughts began running through her head. "Nicole what is it please tell me." Nicole's eyes met hers and she saw... happiness?

"Lila.." She started a wide smile growing on her face. "I'm pregnant." Lila just stared at her before a similar smile spread across her face. She stood up and grabbed Nicole into a hug.

"Congratulations!" Lila said almost screaming. "But I swear if you ever do that to me again I'm going to slap you." Nicole hugged her again and laughed.

"I'm sorry, but I had to." The two girls took their seats again.

"When do you find out?" Lila asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Two days ago. We wanted to tell you in person rather than on the phone."

"You guys didn't waste any time on your honeymoon did you?"

"Hell no!" Nicole took a drink of her water and smiled. "I guess the Diva's are planning me a surprise baby shower for when we get back."

"If it's a surprise then why do you know about it?"

"John has a big mouth." Nicole smiled. "You should expect an invite soon enough.

"Ok, I'll do my best not to tell you about it."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." The two of them sat for almost another hour discussing various details about Nicole's upcoming months, but Nicole and Mike had to get going. They were going to head back up to New York and meet with some other superstars to tell them the good news.

"We will see you guys in a few days." Lila said giving both Nicole and Mike hugs.

"Yeah, you better... You have some pictures of me to take." Mike said with a smug look.

"Nah, John's better for the camera." Lila said and she heard a loud 'BURN!' from her boyfriend beside her. "I'm just kidding Mike."

"Hey, chica. You better get me something good for my baby shower." Nicole said as Mike opened her door.

"Don't worry, only the best." Lila replied. She saw Mike shake Shannon's hand one last time and pat him on the shoulder, words of encouragement were passing silently between them. Shannon and Lila waved good-bye to the newlyweds before heading back to their own car.

"So, what would you like to do?" Shannon asked as he opened her door.

"Why don't you pick?" She climbed into the car and he closed her door, making his way around the car he got into the drivers seat.

"Well where's your favorite place to go here?" Lila smiled at him and began giving him various directions. After going down a dirt rocky road they parked in a wooded area. "This is it?" Shannon asked getting out of the car.

"See that gate over there?" She asked pointing to her left. Shannon nodded. "We walk that way." She grabbed his hand entwining her fingers with his and lead him down another dirt road.

"We couldn't just drive?" He asked.

"No, the gates are locked, as you saw, and I don't have the keys for them."

"Are we trespassing?" He asked.

"No, why? You nervous?" She asked teasing him.

"Not at all." He pulled her closer and kissed the side of her forehead as they continued to walk. After passing another gate and walking across a stone bridge they came upon a park. An abandoned two-story house was sitting to their right and a stone structure was right a head of them.

"Those stones were brought here from Italy." Lila said as they walked toward it. Beyond the structure ran a stone wall that was separating the park from a beautiful calm stream.

"No one would ever know this place was out here." Shannon said looking around. "Why isn't the place crowed with people?" It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect.

"I don't think you'll believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Ok, this park used to be the main park for the area. People were always married here in the 20's and 30's. Well this park also happens to be the water reservoir for the city, and during the 40's and World War two people were worried about Nazi's poisoning the water and the park was closed down." Shannon stared at her in disbelief. "It's true! What Nazi's would be doing poisoning a small PA area is beyond me. Anyway, when the park was finally re-opened people just sort of forgot about it. Other parks were made around the city and they were closer than this is. However, I love it here."

"How did you find out about this one?"

"My mom told me about it a few years ago. I've been coming here just to think ever since." She sat on a small stone bench and just smiled, a look of content on her face. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's amazing." He sat next to her.

"Shannon is something wrong?"

"Far from that." He said, his southern accent thick.

"Then what is it sweetie?" She asked softly touching his cheek. He kissed her hand, then moved slowly forward and softly kissed her lips. He opened his mouth at the same time that she opened hers and their tongues caressed. He pulled away and just stared into her eyes. As he took a deep breath he moved from the bench and got down onto one knee. Lila's heart beat faster and faster in her chest.

"Lila I love you. I've loved you since that day I knocked you down in the hallway of the WWE building in California. I am not good at being romantic and God knows I wish I could say something perfect, but all I can really say is you're the only one I want to be with." He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a white gold engagement ring with two small sapphires on either side of a beautiful diamond. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Lila said tears streaming down her face. He slipped the ring quickly on her finger and stood up, pulling her with him. Their lips connected immediately and the kiss deepened. In that moment neither one of them wanted to let go, and they knew that they would never really have to.


End file.
